Policy & Advocacy Work

01. Global Digital Compact

As part of Wikimedia Ghana User Group’s Policy and Advocacy work, by the end of the fiscal year, we developed and published a policy position paper advocating for the recognition of open knowledge ecosystems and Digital Public Goods, including Wikipedia, as strategic components of Ghana’s national digital public infrastructure. 

The paper provided recommendations to support the country’s implementation of the Global Digital Compact in a manner that is inclusive, sustainable, and aligned with national development priorities.

In the lead up to this paper, Wikimedia Ghana User Group:

• Joined the Wikimedia Foundation’s Global Digital Compact Working Group. Through the Working Group’s collective efforts:
  • The GDC work received media coverage from Citi Newsroom, which published a feature on what the Global Digital Compact is and its implications for organisations in Ghana.
• A representative of Wikimedia Ghana User Group, participated in a BBC interview discussing the Global Digital Compact and how Wikimedians or generally Africans can take advantage of some of the provisions of the Compact to build upon proper policy systems.
• The Working Group also participated in several Internet Governance Forums (IGFs), including the Ghana IGF and the Nigeria IGF, where the Group contributed to regional conversations around the Global Digital Compact and its implementation across African governments.

Looking ahead, Wikimedia Ghana User Group’s GDC advocacy work as part of the Working Group is expected to continue through participation in the African IGF, scheduled to be held in Ghana, providing a significant opportunity to advance the recommendations of our policy position at a continental level.

02. Supporting Hub Development in Africa

At the beginning of the grant year, Wikimedia Ghana User Group intended to continue supporting the formation of a West African Hub to strengthen collaboration, capacity building, and structured support among Wikimedia affiliates within the sub-region. The Hub was envisioned as a platform that would support the growth of the Wikimedia movement in West Africa.

However, as the grant year progressed, our focus shifted towards supporting the formation of a Pan-African Hub which had become a pressing issue due to learning that Africa should ideally prioritise the creation of a unified hub pilot, instead of a multiple hub approach.

The Pan-African Hub seeks to provide a unified coordination framework for Wikimedia communities and affiliates across the continent. In support of this, Wikimedia Ghana User Group contributed to the early discussions and planning for the Pan-African Hub framework and assumed the role of fiscal sponsor for the Hub’s development. 

Wikimedia Ghana User Group seeks to play an active part in helping to achieve the goals of the Pan-African Hub.