Nigeria Communications and Satellite Ltd (NigComSat) is set to host over 100 Wikimedians from Nigeria and the diaspora in Abuja for the inaugural Wikimedia Conference Nigeria.
The event, scheduled to take place from September 12th to 14th, 2024, will focus on discussing the features of Wikipedia and its sister projects within the Nigerian context, according to the organisers.
The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (WMF), the organisation behind the collaboration, is a U.S.-based nonprofit headquartered in San Francisco, California. Established in 2003 by Jimmy Wales in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Foundation was created to fund Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and other crowdsourced wiki projects, which were previously hosted by Wales’s for-profit company, Bomis. Today, WMF hosts Wikipedia, the world’s seventh most visited website, alongside 14 other related content projects. The Foundation also supports the development of MediaWiki, the software that powers these platforms.
Wikipedia group says that “over 100 Wikimedians in Nigeria and the diaspora will feature at the conference to discuss the features of Wikipedia and its sister project in Nigeria.”
Jane Egerton-Idehen, Managing Director/CEO of NigComSat, says that she met with Amb. Olushola Olaniyan, Wikimedia Nigeria’s President, in Abuja to solidify their partnership. NigComSat, she says, will play a pivotal role in the event by providing dedicated, uninterrupted internet service and essential communication infrastructure. Additionally, the satellite services company will deliver one of the keynote speeches at the conference.
Beyond the immediate event, Wikimedia highlights that it is exploring further collaborations with Nigeria to extend Wikipedia’s reach to rural areas across the country.
NigComSat adds that this effort aligns with its mission, under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to become Africa’s leading satellite operator and service provider.
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