Wikimedia Foundation elections/2025/Candidates/Mohammed Kamal-Deen Fuseini
Mohammed Kamal-Deen Fuseini (Dnshitobu)
Dnshitobu (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Candidate video statement | ||
| Total word count for the whole application (required + optional questions) is 2500 words. | ||
| Have you read the minimum candidate requirements and verified you meet the minimum qualifications and the candidate eligibility requirements? | Yes | |
| Have you read the candidate guidelines and agree to abide by the guidelines? | Yes | |
| Required questions | ||
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| Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about? | I am running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees to encourage diversity and inclusion and also represent underrepresented indigenous communities and help shape a future where equity, access, and multilingual participation are central to our movement's strategy in all spheres and bounds.
As an experienced Wikimedian, I will bring community-grounded leadership skills acquired through various volunteer roles I have held in areas such as organizing, governance, and capacity building in marginalized language communities. I will offer diverse perspectives from the Sub-Saharan and Middle East regions to help reshape the advocacy campaigns and policies that reflect the realities of the Global South. I aim to serve as a bridge between emerging communities and the broader Wikimedia vision. My background in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and education will enable me to bridge the gap between Wikimedia’s technical infrastructure and knowledge equity goals, solidifying the ties between technical and non-technical contributors. While contributing my experience, I would like to learn more about strategies to strengthen movement governance at the highest level and the legal and financial stewardship of a global nonprofit | |
| Please describe your Wikimedia experience (such as contributions to the Wikimedia projects, memberships in Wikimedia organizations or affiliates, activities as a Wikimedia movement organizer, or participation with a Wikimedia movement ally organization). | I have been an active Wikimedian since 2019, contributing across several Wikimedia projects and communities:
1. Wikimedia Projects
2. Community Affiliations
3. Movement Roles
4. Conferences and Meetups I have participated in both online and offline conferences where we discussed high-level strategic movement concepts, capacity building, volunteer recruitment and retention, movement governance, movement sustainability, and eating the elephant meat (trade-off). Some of these conferences include: In-person
Online
I contribute to OpenStreetMap, Europeana Network Association, the Mozilla community, Google Maps, the Internet Governance Forum, and iNaturalist, which are extending Wikimedia’s goals through open data and citizen science.
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| From your perspective, what should the Wikimedia Foundation be prioritizing over the next 3-5 years, and why do you see these as the most important priorities? | Over the next 3–5 years, I believe the Wikimedia Foundation should prioritize the following:
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| Please describe your experience with governing bodies of organizations (nonprofit or for-profit), mentioning the scope of your responsibilities, as well as the complexity of the organization (in terms of scale of operations, budget, number of people involved, or other meaningful measures) and the size of the board or body. | I currently serve on the Regional Committee for Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East Africa at the Wikimedia Foundation. In this role:
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| Questions from the Community (required) | ||
| These questions were sourced from the community. These questions are required to consider your application complete. If this section is not complete by 23:59 AoE, July 8 (11:59 UTC, July 9), your application will not be considered. | ||
| How do you plan to ensure transparency and accountability in your decision-making processes as a member of the Board of Trustees? | *I will advocate for regular and simplified communication of board decisions and deliberations via our community channels and Meta-Wiki updates. This will include clear summaries, timelines, and rationale behind major decisions to enhance open communication.
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| What will be the first new issue you would like to bring to the attention of the Board for discussion, and how would you approach it? | Issue: Equitable Resource Distribution to Underrepresented Communities and Financial Literacy Capacity Building
Data is the backbone of every meaningful decision, and to achieve this, we will request a presentation of current funding, staff support, and resource allocation data by region and language. This data collected will be consolidated with virtual consultations with smaller language groups and affiliates to understand their challenges to dot the i’s and tie the t’s. Finally, we will propose a new “Equity Impact Audit” that assesses all major Board and Foundation decisions for fairness and inclusion. We will then recommend launching a pilot project in underserved regions to test localized governance and resource models before scaling. | |
| How should decisions about trade-offs and prioritisation in Wikimedia technology or product areas be approached? Please explain what the trade-off is in your view. | Trade-offs and prioritization involve the foundation selecting the best things to build, making them fair for everyone, trying new ideas, and working together with many people to ensure continuity, widespread acceptance, and usage. The trade-off often lies between developing new products (like AI or learning platforms) and maintaining/improving existing infrastructure (like MediaWiki Core)
Decisions about trade-offs and prioritisation in Wikimedia technology should be guided by mission-aligned impact, community inclusiveness, and future readiness. In my opinion, the approach should be to:
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| The number of Wikimedia affiliates has grown significantly over the past few years, but ensuring adequate resourcing can be a challenge. Given this, how might we rethink the movement ecosystem, including how affiliates are evaluated, engaged, and resourced? | In order to strengthen the Wikimedia movement ecosystem, we must rethink evaluation as learning, engagement as partnership, and resourcing as investment in diverse capacities and then shift from a one-size-fits-all model to a context-sensitive, equity-driven approach. We need to:
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| As the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position transitions, what qualities do you believe the incoming leader should embody, and how would these contribute to the advancement of the Wikimedia movement? | The next CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation will also guide a global, diverse, and volunteer-driven movement and should be visionary, empathetic, and a community-centered leader. These arre the qualities that will build trust our mission achievement, and help us navigate the digital, legal, and social changes that are affecting Wikipedia and its sister projects, especially in the era AI and misinformation
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| Optional questions - Professional Experience, Skills and Education | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe your professional career experience and relevance to board work. | I bring a blend of grassroots leadership as a teacher with 10 years of experience, cybersecurity expertise from the Cybersecurity Professional Association of Ghana and , digital literacy advocacy from the Ghana School of Internet Governance, and teamwork from my association with the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group that aligns well with board responsibilities. I am committed to equity, multilingual inclusion, and structured decision-making to support the board’s global mission. I am member of Creative Commons and Europeana Network.
My work demands financial oversight, community consultation, and program monitoring which are relevant skills to board governance, transparency, and movement strategies. | |
| Please describe how you handled, or advised others on, a complex problem in an organization. How did you work with others to address the situation? What was the change that resulted from your efforts? | In 2021, I was made a co-lead for Gurene Wikimedia Community internal governance crisis involving misinformation spread by one of the community members. The situation risked damaging the group’s reputation and disrupting project continuity.
I addressed the issue by diagnosing the problem, hosted a virtual and in-person community forum and invited all voices to speak. This helped defuse tension and create transparency. I worked with other executive members to correct the misinformation and it has laid institutionalized accountability and conflict resolution benchmark. The group restored internal trust and stayed alive till today. | |
| Please describe your educational background, including degrees, certificates, and courses of study finished, and their relevance to board work. | My educational journey combines technical knowledge, leadership, and project management skills essential for effective board service:
I am pursuing master of philosophy in cybersecurity and Digital forensics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). I hold a Bachelor of Education in Information Technology from the Valley View University, a diploma in basic education from University of Cape Coast. I have also completed Data Analytics programme through Google Scholarship on Coursera. These degrees have trained me in systems thinking and analyses, policy analysis, online safety, communication, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement skills which are key competencies for governance and strategic oversight. | |
| Please add any relevant links describing your professional background, experience, profile (such as LinkedIn, staff page, etc.). | * https://w.wiki/EbkP | |
| Optional questions - Leadership Experience | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe ways in which you have helped to form a bridge between multiple communities (such as by working on projects outside your home wiki, or working on a collaboration between multiple affiliates). | Beyond my home wiki (Dagbani), I co-founded the Gurene Wikimedia Community in Ghana and the Igala Wikimedia Community in Nigeria. I served as the language liaison for the Ghanaian Wikimedia Language Communities, connecting with 11 language communities. As Outreach and Partnership Manager for Wiki Loves Ramadan 2025, I connected with 32 communities globally for a common course. My service as a Wikimedia Regional Fund Committee for Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region helping evaluate and support funding across diverse affiliates. As a train of trainees for OpenRefine, I have offered training to diverse group of people across Africa. I have co-organized Art + Feminism events, Wiki4Human Rights, World Heritage events, & photowalks of varied complexities. | |
| Can you describe a policy, on wiki or off, that you helped to create or change? What did you learn from this experience? | As a grant committee member, I contribute to the financial decisions policies based on my learning, and this has helped shape some aspects of the funding committee. I have come to learn that collaborative policymaking builds community trust and ownership and that clear policies prevent crises; they guide conduct and protect reputations. | |
| How have you been able to empower people to make their voices heard? | As teacher, I’ve mentored countless students, helping them find the confidence toshare their ideas respectfully, showing them how to ask critical questions and take leadership roles and some of them are serving their motherland in different capacities.
I’ve trained hundreds through workshops on Wikipedia, Wikidata, cybersecurity and digital literacy. Many participants went on to organize their own projects, becoming leaders and now advocates. | |
| Can you describe how you have demonstrated the ability to guide others in solving problems, adapting to change or achieving goals, particularly at a leadership or management level? | As a professional teacher:
I’ve mentored student teachers who initially struggled to apply effective teaching methods. Through coaching, model lessons, and feedback, I helped them become more confident and creative in class. Many went on to become students’ favorites, able to deliver complex content in engaging ways. In Wikimedia communities: Editing templates and working on Meta-Wiki can be intimidating for many local community leaders. As a trainer of trainers, I’ve simplified these and have empowered more leaders to customize campaign pages and templates, set up event dashboards, and contribute to global coordination spaces without fear. | |
| Optional questions - Strategic Thinking | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe your experience participating in or leading an organization in planning for its future. How did your work contribute to picking the right path for the organization? | The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, a registered not-for-profit non-governmental organization, got stuck with our activities based on some internal affairs that were caused by a disgruntled former volunteer of the organization, and we needed to improve our organization’s governance structure and ethical guidelines as well as formalize our policies and operations. I got involved at every step of the process to ensure we have volunteer team member contracts, privacy and confidentiality regulations, policies, and other documentation that will give us legal backing in our operations. This has laid the foundation for future resolution of similar affairs to ensure the group’s growth and continuity. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
Eligibility:  Verified
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Identification: Verified Verified by: – NahidSultan (WMF) (talk) 04:15, 30 June 2025 (UTC) | |