Nigeria Wikimedia community inaugurates advocacy team

By Ihechukwuu Sunday

The Wikimedia community in Nigeria has inaugurated a public policy advocacy team to kick start its public policy advocacy initiatives.

According to the Coordinator, Olaniyan Olusila, the initiative is aimed at envisioning and engaging social change in public policies and human rights, as well as enhancing a friendly internet environment for open knowledge.

He said the group intends to engage relevant stakeholders within the country’s open knowledge space, and provide information about ongoing and future activities, opportunities, and challenges related to the impact of public policies on open knowledge in the country.

He noted that the group’s philosophy includes change advocates, support groups and community drive. “The change advocate will be in the form of influencing policy changes to promote open knowledge in the country. The supporting group will support all Nigerian Wikimedia affiliates in public policy changes and needs, while the community drive will drive the initiatives.

“Its objectives are to raise awareness by exploring the practical benefits of open knowledge and how it can enhance the daily lives and work of Nigerians, as well as educate Nigerians, including multinationals, and government agencies about these benefits and their importance.

“In the area of advocacy, it will push for policies that promote and protect open access to information, data, and research, as well as capacity building to equip individuals and organisations with the necessary skills and tools to create, share, and utilise open knowledge effectively.

“In terms of collaboration, it will join the government’s agencies, educational institutions, nongovernmental organisations and the private sector, to advance open knowledge initiatives, making everyone feel included in this vital work. In terms of innovation, it will provide solutions that leverage open knowledge for societal progress, inspiring hope for a brighter future,” he stated.

“The group will also engage policymakers at local, state, and federal levels to advocate for legislation and policies that promote open access to government’s data, research publications, and educational resources. It will equally engage in capacity-building workshops to conduct training sessions for students, researchers, educators, and government officials on open data management and open-source software,”he added.

For community outreach, he said the group would collaborate with local communities to create open educational resources, such as textbooks, lesson plans, and multimedia content, including research and development, by supporting research projects that explore the impact of open knowledge on economic development, education, healthcare, and governance in Nigeria.

The group, according to him, would organise edit-a-thons and innovation challenges to encourage the development of open-source solutions that address societal challenges in Nigeria

In terms of structure, he noted that the group would review and assess the National Language Policy of 2022 to evaluate its level of implementation and its potential impact on the quality and participation of contributors to Wikipedia in Nigerian language.

“It will also review the amended Copyright Protection Act of 2004 (as amended in 2022), which introduces partial freedom of panorama and establishes the Nigerian Data Protection Act of 2023 and equally examines the role of the Data Protection Act of 2023 in the operation of knowledge in Nigeria,” he said.

In attendance at the inaugural meeting of the initiative were representatives of the Nigeria Wikimedia affiliates, public policy experts and community members and participants, including Olaniyan Olushola (Group coordinator), Olatunde Isaac (Wikimedia UG Nigeria), Dr. Nkem Osuigwe (African Library & Information Associations & Institutions), Tochi Precious (Igbo Wikimedia User Group), Ammar Abdulhamid (Hausa Wikimedian User Group), Mikaeel Adeshina, Kayode Yussuf (Wikimedia UG Nigeria), Ceslauce Ogbonaya (Igbo Wikimedia User Group), Levi Kambali (Tyap Wikimedia User Group) and Rhoda James (Secretary).