In 2025, Wiki Mentor Africa (WMA) set out with a clear goal: to make the Wikimedia technical space more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for African contributors. Between June and December, that goal transformed into tangible progress: new contributors writing code for the first time, community-built tools improving workflows, and a growing sense that African Wikimedians belong not only as editors but also as technical creators.
Creating entry points through the Tool Spotlight Series
One of the most important barriers to technical contribution is simply knowing where to begin. To address this, WMA launched the Tool Spotlight Series, a monthly learning space designed to introduce contributors to existing Wikimedia technical tools and the people behind them.
Across four sessions featuring tools such as ActorNet, EMI, ArchiveBot, and the ISA Tool, participants learnt how tools are built, how they solve real community problems, and most importantly, how they themselves could contribute.
For many, this was their first exposure to the technical ecosystem. These sessions helped demystify technical contribution and planted the seed that anyone, regardless of background, could participate.
Building skills and confidence through hands-on hackathons
Learning became practice in October, when WMA organised an in-person hackathon in Tamale, Ghana, bringing together contributors eager to explore the technical side of Wikimedia. The results were immediate and inspiring. Participants built user scripts supporting local African languages, including keyboards and interface tools for Gurene, Dagaare, Kusaal, and Dagbani. These contributions addressed real linguistic needs and demonstrated how technical skills can directly support language equity.
Beyond the tools themselves, something deeper happened: contributors began to see themselves differently, not just as users of Wikimedia tools, but as builders.
As one participant reflected in a Diff blog post, the experience was “an eye-opener in the technical dimension of Wikimedia”.
Expanding reach across Africa through regional collaboration
WMA’s impact extended beyond West Africa. Through an online technical training with the Wikimedia Tanzania community, the initiative expanded its reach into East Africa, strengthening connections and introducing new contributors to technical workflows such as Phabricator.
This cross-regional engagement reflected WMA’s broader vision: building a truly pan-African technical community.
Turning disruption into innovation: The End-of-Year Hack Challenge
When the WikiIndaba conference was unexpectedly cancelled due to safety concerns, WMA faced a difficult moment. The planned hackathon, an opportunity many contributors were looking forward to, could not proceed as expected.
Instead of pausing, WMA adapted. The team launched the first Wiki Mentor Africa End-of-Year Hack Challenge, a contest-based hackathon that allowed contributors to participate remotely, individually, and in teams.
The response exceeded expectations. More than 290 participants registered. Six teams formed. Over 270 Phabricator tickets were resolved, and at least six Wikimedia tools were improved.
But the numbers tell only part of the story. Participants shared their journeys on Diff, LinkedIn, and social media stories of learning new skills, overcoming fear of technical spaces, and contributing meaningfully to Wikimedia’s infrastructure.
The challenge became not just an event but a milestone in building technical confidence across the community.
Strengthening Africa’s role in the Wikimedia technical ecosystem
By the end of 2025, Wiki Mentor Africa had achieved something significant.
Hundreds of contributors had been introduced or reintroduced to technical contribution. Tools were improved. New contributors joined technical workflows. And perhaps most importantly, a stronger culture of technical participation began to take root.
Wiki Mentor Africa also gained recognition as a trusted technical convenor, reflecting growing confidence in African-led technical capacity building.
Looking ahead: Building sustainable pathways into technical contribution
The progress of 2025 demonstrated that African contributors are eager to engage technically when given the opportunity, support, and welcoming spaces to learn.
Through mentorship, training, hackathons, and community storytelling, Wiki Mentor Africa is helping redefine who participates in building Wikimedia’s technical future.
What began as a series of workshops and hackathons is becoming something larger: a movement empowering African Wikimedians not just to contribute to knowledge but to build the tools that make knowledge possible.
Next up, from the 27th to the 31st of March, we’re inviting you to the Wiki Mentor Africa – Women Tech Summit (WMA-WTS) in celebration of the 2026 International Women’s Day to help bridge the gap and empower women and girls with the right technical skills that will support them in connecting the dots in the tech world and be able to make a global impact. The WMA Team, in collaboration with the Igbo Wikimedians User Group, Wiki in Africa Wiki Loves Women, Africa Wiki Women, Rebase Code Camp, and Girls Voices Initiative, through this project is working to build synergy for African women through technical mentorship and engagement in the Wikimedia space.
This 4-day hybrid event will focus on technical domains, including documentation (e.g., tool guides), coding (e.g., bots and bug fixes), and design (e.g., UI/UX for wiki tools). Unlike general editing campaigns, it targets open-source tech skills to address gender gaps in African tech contributions
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