The Wikimedia Ghana User Group has received a Knowledge Equity Fund Connected Grant from the Wikimedia Foundation to strengthen collaboration and expand access to free knowledge across West Africa.

The Wikimedia Foundation established the $4.5 million Knowledge Equity Fund in 2020 to support organisations working to remove racial and systemic barriers to accessing free knowledge. The initiative provides funding to external organisations committed to promoting information equity and inclusivity.

As part of efforts to deepen collaboration between grantees and Wikimedia projects, the Foundation introduced Connected Grants. These grants support partnerships between Wikimedia movement groups and grantee organisations, enabling their work to be integrated into Wikimedia platforms.

The fund, which operates as a one-time grant-making initiative, is currently in its final funding round following three cycles of support.

Under the latest award, the Wikimedia Ghana User Group, a non-profit affiliate dedicated to advancing open knowledge, will collaborate with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The MFWA is among the first organisations supported under the Knowledge Equity Fund and is also part of its final cohort of grantees.

The MFWA is an independent non-governmental organisation that promotes freedom of expression and access to information across all 16 West African countries. Its mandate aligns closely with the mission of the Wikimedia Ghana User Group, which for over a decade has promoted access to educational content in Ghana through Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms.

The collaboration aims to address critical knowledge gaps in areas such as freedom of expression, human rights, and digital rights. It also seeks to make MFWA’s work more widely accessible across West Africa and beyond through Wikimedia platforms.

The initiative will focus on building capacity in open knowledge systems, principles and licensing, while strengthening ties between MFWA and the wider West African Wikimedia community.