The three-day summit that ended in March 2019, was organised by Wikimedia Deutschland in collaboration with the Wikimedia Foundation.

Formerly known as the Wikimedia conference, the annual event is a platform where affiliates and institutions in the Wikimedia establishment gather to discuss issues on governance and take strategic decisions that will shape the future of the largest online encyclopaedia.

Dubbed: ‘Movement Strategy,’ the summit also afforded members the opportunity to collaborate and network to share and transfer knowledge.

Participants

The Ghanaian participants were Felix Nartey, Board Member, Open Foundation West Africa (OFWA); Pamela Ofori-Boateng, Communications Officer of OFWA, and Sandister Tei, Founder, Wikimedia Ghana User Group.

They deliberated on how to contribute effectively to the future of the organisation and how their activities could benefit Ghana and Africa.

According to Mr Nartey, the summit also provided an avenue for Wikimedians in Africa to have a common voice.

“The summit for me is that time of the year where people who lead communities meet to realign, experience different perspectives, participate in important discussions and network to achieve results.

“For more than 18 years since Wikipedia was launched, Africans have always been on the downside until about six years ago. Even though our participation is growing, the movement has run ahead of us and there are a lot of things that need to be changed to ensure equity,” he added.

About Wikipedia

The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organisation that operates and supports Wikipedia and its related projects.

In Ghana, Open Foundation West Africa, established in 2015, and Wikimedia Ghana User Group, also set up in 2012, are the only recognised affiliates to the Wikimedia Foundation that actively run free Wikipedia trainings and also work towards increasing information about Ghana on the largest online encyclopaedia.