Dear African Wikimedians, We are pleased to share a document outlining our plan to map Movement-aligned initiatives across the continent.
To support this effort, we prepared a Google Form to collect the information you'll need, along with a message below explaining the exercise's approach. *Background* The Wikimedia Movement has set an ambitious strategic direction: *"By 2030, Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge, and anyone who shares our vision will be able to join us."* This direction is underpinned by the principles of *Knowledge Equity* and *Knowledge as a Service*, which call for greater collaboration, inclusion, innovation, and coordination across the Movement. Across Africa, individuals, Wikimedia affiliates, educational institutions, GLAM institutions, civil society organisations, research institutions, technology communities, and strategic partners are implementing initiatives that advance the Wikimedia Movement's mission. These initiatives span education, leadership development, indigenous languages, cultural heritage, public policy, technology, open knowledge, research, community development, and knowledge equity. Although these initiatives have generated significant impact, information about them is often dispersed across grant reports, Meta-Wiki pages, project dashboards, institutional websites, and community documentation. This fragmentation limits opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, strategic coordination, and collective learning. We recognise this gap and are conducting a Movement-Aligned Initiative Mapping Exercise to build a shared continental knowledge base of initiatives that support the Wikimedia Movement's mission across Africa. *Purpose* The Mapping Exercise aims to: ● Develop a comprehensive inventory of Movement-aligned initiatives with continental or multi-country relevance. ● Identify expertise, innovative programme models, and good practices across Africa. ● Strengthen collaboration and coordination among Movement stakeholders. ● Facilitate peer learning and knowledge exchange. ● Identify opportunities for partnerships, capacity building, and resource mobilisation. ● Support evidence-based programme design and strategic planning for the Pan-African Hub. ● Showcase the collective contribution of African communities and partners to the Wikimedia Movement. *Strategic Alignment* This initiative directly supports the implementation of several *Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy Recommendations*, including: *Coordinate Across Stakeholders* The Movement Strategy calls for stronger coordination, collaboration, and information exchange across communities, affiliates, partners, and technical contributors. This mapping exercise creates visibility for initiatives and helps connect stakeholders working on similar priorities across Africa. *Manage Internal Knowledge *The recommendations recognise that the Movement needs a stronger culture of documentation and knowledge sharing. By documenting initiatives, lessons learned, and available resources, this exercise helps preserve institutional knowledge and makes it easier for others to learn from existing work. *Invest in Skills and Leadership Development* One objective of the Movement Strategy is to strengthen leadership, mentoring, peer learning, and organisational capacity. Mapping experienced initiatives and programme leaders will help identify expertise that can support leadership development and mentorship across Africa. *Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement* Understanding who is doing what, where, and with whom enables stronger collaboration, reduces duplication of effort, and contributes to a more sustainable and resilient Movement. *Identify Topics for Impact* The mapping will reveal which thematic areas are well represented and where knowledge gaps remain, helping stakeholders focus future investments on areas of greatest impact. *Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt* The collected information will help us reflect, learn, and continuously improve programmes across the continent. *Scope* This mapping exercise is open to *Movement-aligned initiatives* that operate across multiple African countries or have a continental focus. Eligible submissions may come from: ● Individual Wikimedians ● Wikimedia affiliates ● Educational institutions ● GLAM institutions ● Civil society organisations ● Research institutions ● Technology communities ● Thematic networks ● Regional collaborations ● Strategic partners working with the Wikimedia Movement The emphasis is on *the initiative*, rather than the organisation leading it. *What is a Movement-Aligned Initiative?* For this exercise, a Movement-aligned initiative is any programme, project, campaign, partnership, platform, or collaborative effort that advances free knowledge and contributes to the Wikimedia Movement's vision and strategic direction. Examples include initiatives that: ● Expand access to free knowledge. ● Improve Wikimedia content or participation. ● Support Wikimedia volunteers and communities. ● Develop leadership and organisational capacity. ● Preserve African languages, heritage, and culture. ● Advance knowledge equity and inclusion. ● Develop technology that supports Wikimedia projects. ● Build strategic partnerships for free knowledge. ● Promote public policy and advocacy related to open knowledge. ● Produce research that strengthens the Wikimedia Movement. *How the Information Will Be Used* The information collected will support the Pan-African Hub in: ● Developing a continental inventory of Movement-aligned initiatives. ● Identifying expertise and thematic strengths across Africa. ● Facilitating collaboration and peer learning. ● Connecting initiatives with similar objectives. ● Showcasing successful programme models. ● Supporting strategic planning and future programme development. ● Informing research, reporting, and knowledge-sharing within the Wikimedia Movement. The information collected is intended to strengthen collaboration and learning across the Movement. It is *not* designed as a funding assessment or evaluation mechanism. *References* ● Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy Recommendations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Recommendations> ● Summary of the Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy <https://www.wikimedia.de/2020/en/themen/movement-strategy/> ● Introduction to the Movement Strategy Recommendations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Recommendations/Introduction> Amb. Olaniyan Olushola On behalf of the Pan-African Interim Steering Committee.
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