Wikimedia UG Nigeria Strengthens Partnership with Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) to Advance Digital Heritage Preservation and Oral Knowledge Documentation

The Wikimedia Nigeria team visited the LASRAB Director-General, Mr Rasak Olugbenga Amodu, to strengthen institutional collaboration for preserving and promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage and public knowledge resources.

The meeting allowed both institutions to deepen their partnership, review past achievements, launch new heritage initiatives, and discuss strategic cooperation for the year ahead. The Wikimedia Nigeria delegation formally presented audiovisual materials from the Nigeria Oral History Documentation Project to LASRAB for archival and educational use.

Wikimedia Nigeria began the year committed to strengthening engagement with institutions, government agencies, cultural stakeholders, and international partners in the knowledge, heritage, education, and digital preservation ecosystem. Earlier, the organisation collaborated with the Swedish Embassy in Abuja on initiatives to improve the visibility of Nigerian women online through Wikimedia platforms. The visit to LASRAB marks another major step in expanding partnerships that support free knowledge, digital preservation, and cultural documentation in Nigeria.

Representatives of Wikimedia Nigeria praised LASRAB’s efforts to preserve Lagos State’s archives and support heritage-focused Wikimedia initiatives. The team also commended the new Director-General’s leadership.

The meeting revisited the 2024 collaboration between LASRAB and Wikimedia Nigeria on WikiHeritage. WikiHeritage is a global initiative using Wikimedia platforms, such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata, to digitally preserve and promote cultural heritage. In Lagos, young professionals and volunteers received training in digital literacy, leadership, heritage documentation, and open knowledge tools.

The project led to the creation and improvement of numerous digital content pieces about Lagos State, including heritage sites, festivals, historical cities, monuments, and traditional institutions, which collectively attracted thousands of online viewers worldwide. Seven WikiHeritage ambassadors specifically utilised archival materials and historical resources provided through the collaboration to develop and improve content relating to Lagos cultural heritage, festivals, kingship institutions, and historical narratives. The outstanding ambassadors and contributors were later recognised and rewarded at the Wikimedia Nigeria Community Distinguished Awards held in November 2025 for their exceptional contributions to digital heritage preservation and open knowledge development.

During the meeting, Wikimedia Nigeria introduced the Nigeria Oral History and Indigenous Knowledge Documentation Initiative. This national project preserves indigenous languages, oral traditions, local histories, and cultural expressions through audiovisual documentation in native languages. The initiative has documented elements from over 250 Nigerian languages and cultures and continues to expand across the country.

The team explained that the oral knowledge initiative has enabled researchers, documentarians, linguists, and volunteers to explore the richness, diversity, and intricacies of indigenous Nigerian traditions, including those found in some of the country’s most remote communities. Through field expeditions and interviews with local custodians of culture, oral historians, traditional rulers, storytellers, and community elders, the project seeks to safeguard knowledge systems at risk of disappearing.

As part of the visit, Wikimedia Nigeria formally donated selected audiovisual documentation materials from the project to LASRAB for archival preservation, research access, and public educational presentation to visitors and researchers interested in Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

Both organisations discussed strengthening collaboration with cultural institutions, libraries, museums, historians, filmmakers, researchers, and traditional institutions to support high-quality documentation of oral knowledge and digital heritage content.

At the end of the meeting, Wikimedia Nigeria and LASRAB agreed to strengthen cooperation for the 2026 heritage and oral knowledge projects. They also decided to set up a joint framework to document, preserve, digitise, and share indigenous oral knowledge and cultural heritage materials from Lagos State and beyond.

The partnership reinforces both institutions' shared commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s rich history, traditions, indigenous knowledge systems, and cultural identity remain accessible and preserved for future generations through digital innovation and open knowledge platforms.

*Olaniyan Ishola Olushola*

*CEO. Data Access Systems LtdChairman Local Organizing Committee (WikiIndaba2019) https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiIndaba_conference_2019/TeamCo-Producer, Wikipedia Campaign in Nigeria https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=AUBPd3PTas0 ( Winner of the Best NGO in Africa ( African Excellence Award 2018) https://af-pr.excellence-awards.com/winnerlist/best-of-2018/) Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Co-Producer , Wiki Women Radio https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Women_Radio_ProgramPresident, Wikimedia Nigeria https://wikimedia.org.ng/Treasurer, FOSSFAMember, Affiliates Committee ( Wikimedia Foundation)*

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