2025:Program/Bridging African health gap on Wikipedia

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Session title: Bridging African health gap on Wikipedia

Session type: Poster

Track: Community Health

Language: en

The health niche has been one of the least tackled topics on Wikimedia while culture, GLAM and promotion of heritage are the most available Wiki projects in Africa. The knowledge gap on health advocacy has been negatively impacting Africans as a whole due to a lack of information, limited resources to train health professionals who can bridge the health content gap and retainment of experienced health editors who are ready to volunteer their time. The session will also share an overview of health projects that have already started in Nigeria highlighting the success, challenges and way forward.

Description

Bridging the African health gap is a session aimed at promoting the need for Wiki health editors in Africa, especially with cases of pollution, prevalence diseases like Malaria and Mengntis and issues related to health policies.

Aims To create awareness about the need for health editors in Africa and the launch of Wiki Health Africa

Objectives To bridge the health knowledge gap and To devise ways to provide support for new health editors in Nigeria To identify challenges and solutions to false health information on-wiki and in society

The session will highlight some of the projects that have started already in Africa to bridge the health content gap, Wiki and Health articles in Nigeria 1.0 where 50 articles related to health were created and 50 images on medical buildings and instruments were uploaded in 2024. Also, In 2025, Visibility of Health articles in Nigeria on English Wikipedia 2.0 recorded 100 health articles including heat wave in Nigeria, Outbreak of diarrhoea and management of cancer in Nigeria. The session will also share some of the challenges encountered in the previous projects including lack of awareness, tight schedules of medical professionals leading to low commitment to the projects, limited available funds and retainment of experienced health editors. Addressing these and sharing the success stories will pave the way to ensure the health gap is bridged in Africa and ensure such projects as discussed above are not limited to Nigeria.

How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?

The session will ensure inclusiveness of health professionals in Africa and their contribution to free knowledge

What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

This session is for an experienced audience

Speakers

• Tesleemah

A board member of Wiki Project Medicine, Advisory council of Wikiwomen task force and community liaison for Wiki Loves Ramadan 2025.