Members of the Kusaal Wikimedians Community (KWC) and the Gurene Wikimedia Community (GWC) have held a joint end-of-year ceremony in Zebila to review their activities for 2025, share challenges, and honour outstanding contributors.

The event took place on January 3, 2026, and brought together 25 language activists and editors who use Wikimedia platforms to promote local languages, culture, and knowledge online. The ceremony was made possible through the support of the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group (DWUG), which has continued to support language communities across northern Ghana.

Presenting the 2025 year-in-review for the Kusaal Wikimedians Community, team member Adakudugu Awinimi Isaac outlined several activities carried out during the year. He said the community remained active and committed to growing Kusaal content on Wikimedia platforms.

According to him, the group organised editing contests at football clubs in Ghana and universities in Ghana. They also marked International Translation Day and National Kusaal Language Day, which focused on promoting the use of Kusaal online. Other activities included the Article of the Week contest, which encouraged members to regularly improve Wikipedia articles.

“These activities helped more young people to learn how to edit and also increased Kusaal content online,” he said.

However, he noted that the community faced challenges, including a lack of equipment such as laptops and cameras, difficulty installing local symbols on devices, and limited data allowance to support regular editing.

Speaking on behalf of the Gurene Wikimedia Community, Project Lead and Logistics, Felicia Ayeti Amorama, said only a few activities were carried out in 2025. She explained that the distance between members made physical meetings difficult.

“Our members live far from one another,” she said. “So most of our activities were done through virtual programmes.”

Despite the challenges, she said the Gurene community remains hopeful and committed to doing more in the coming year.

Addressing the gathering, Co-lead of Kusaal Wikimedians Community, Engr Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen, encouraged both communities to remain resilient and focused on their long-term goals. He urged members not to be discouraged by slow progress.

“What we are doing with our languages will also affect generations yet to come,” he said.

He encouraged the Gurene community to organise more activities such as language day celebrations, similar to those held by the Kusaal Wikimedians Community. According to him, such efforts help preserve local languages and culture.

He also advised members to actively use their languages by promoting local songs, sharing cultural items on social media, and taking photos of animals and objects with local language names.

During an open forum session, participants raised several concerns. Many spoke about the lack of devices and equipment needed for editing. Others asked for more training, especially for beginners who want to learn how to edit Wikipedia.

Some participants also raised concerns about monitoring data usage during editing, while others called for better communication and quicker responses when issues are reported.

The event also featured games and cultural dance performances, which brought excitement and unity among participants.

The communities expressed appreciation to the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group for organising and supporting the event. Active members were also commended for their commitment and encouraged inactive members to participate more actively.

Honouring outstanding contributors

Awards were presented to outstanding contributors from both communities. The awards were provided by the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group as part of its longstanding support for the Kusaal and Gurene Wikimedia communities over the years.

For the Gurene Wikimedia Community, Akolpoaka Augustina was named Top Contributor. Kolog Savelen Yensogre won the Top Female Contributor award, while Akudugu Patrick Atanga was recognized as Top Newbie. All of them received phones to aid their Wikimedia activities.

In the Kusaal Wikimedians Community, Abande Roger Ndeego received the Top Contributor award. Anaba Hannah was honoured as Top Female Contributor, and Ruth Abuosi Apasib was named Top Newbie. All of them received phones to aid their Wikimedia activities.

Organisers noted that DWUG continues to support similar language promotion activities among other communities, including the Dagaare and Waali Wikimedia communities, as part of efforts to preserve Ghana’s indigenous languages online.

The ceremony ended with renewed commitment from both communities to strengthen their work in 2026 and ensure that local languages remain visible and active on Wikimedia platforms.