Africa Wiki Women boosts African women’s visibility online ^{CEFR B2}

Africa Wiki Women works to raise the visibility of African women across Wikimedia platforms by helping them create and improve content. The group developed from concerns about under-representation inside the Wikimedia movement. Global Voices published an interview with co-founder Ruby Damenshie-Brown on International Women's Day 2026 about the group's aims and work.

The project was founded by three women: Ruby Damenshie-Brown from Ghana, Bukola James from Nigeria and Pellagia Njau from Tanzania. Ruby says she joined the Wikimedia community in 2019 and noticed most contributors were men and that less than 20 percent of biographies on English Wikipedia were about women. A 24-hour Wiki Women in Red edit-a-thon made the lack of published information clearer, and the Sheroes of Africa campaign in April 2022 also highlighted gender gaps in participation and recognition.

To respond, Africa Wiki Women runs training courses, contribution campaigns and mentorship programmes. Since the group began it has trained more than 500 women from several African countries. Trained participants have created and improved hundreds of articles, including profiles of female leaders and pages about organisations and initiatives led by women. Co-founders describe the goal as turning a lack of visibility into sustainable change by helping women become contributors and leaders within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

The group faces persistent obstacles: unreliable internet and lack of suitable devices, low digital literacy or confidence with platforms like Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, time constraints from family and work, and a shortage of visible role models and reliable published sources. To address these issues, Africa Wiki Women combines training, mentorship, resources and advocacy and has launched community programmes to strengthen skills and increase participation across the continent.