Empowering African Women: Journalists join Wikimedia drive

A group of Nigerian journalists and advocates have joined the Africa Wiki Women campaign to address the under-representation of African women on Wikipedia.

The initiative, powered by the Africa Wiki Women, trains journalists to create credible secondary sources that support the inclusion of notable African women on the global encyclopaedia.

Africa Wiki Women 2025 fellow, Airat Abdul Rahmon, said the campaign focuses on converting “Women in Red”—notable African women without Wikipedia articles—to “Women in Blue”. “They’re notable but lack media coverage. That’s where journalists come in,” she noted.

According to her, the collaboration with the media is a key step in closing Wikipedia’s gender content gap. By creating reliable, verifiable sources, journalists play a vital role in ensuring these stories are told.

Merit Ibekeme, a librarian and Wikimedian since 2020, said the project aims to “make knowledge free and accessible to all.” As one of the organisers, she explained that many African women are excluded from Wikipedia due to a lack of published sources.

“Wikipedia doesn’t accept primary sources. Notability must be proven with secondary references,” she explained.

Ibekeme has previously trained librarians and is now extending her efforts to journalists, equipping them with tools to contribute to the open knowledge movement.

One of the participants, Daily Trust journalist Itodo Daniel Sule, said the training was eye-opening.

“Now I know how to spotlight notable women who lack visibility,” he said. “I’m ready to start contributing.”

He added that the programme gave him a clear understanding of Wikipedia’s notability criteria and how journalists can create references that ensure these women are represented online.

Another participant, Rose Iwueze, a grassroots development advocate, described the training as a moment of capacity building.

“Many women are doing great work quietly,” she said. “Now I know how to identify and document them.”

The training, which brought together journalists from various media organisations, was held at the American Space in Abuja. It forms part of a broader effort to enhance the digital visibility of African women—one article, one edit and one reference at a time.