We are thrilled to announce the newly appointed Board of Trustees at Free Knowledge Africa, marking an exciting new chapter in our journey to advancing open knowledge, digital literacy, and equitable access to information across the African continent.
Meet the New Board Members
After a careful selection process, we are proud to introduce the distinguished leaders who will guide Free Knowledge Africa’s strategic vision, governance, and mission driven initiatives
Helen Chuma-Okoro, PHD, is an associate Professor at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), specialising in intellectual property law and practice. Helen holds an LLB from the University of Calabar, an LLM from the University of Lagos, and a PhD in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Cape Town. She has published both locally and internationally, and serves as Assistant Editor of the NIALS Intellectual Property Journal (NJIP); Head, NIALS Postgraduate School, and Head, International Law Department. Her professional experience includes research fellowships at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, University of Ottawa, and the University of Cape Town. Helen coordinates the CopyrightX-NIALS Course, which is organised in collaboration with Harvard Law School. She is also Country Lead of Creative Commons Nigeria Chapter, an international NGO promoting equitable and inclusive IP policies globally. She has published widely both locally and internationally in various fields, including intellectual property, technology regulation, and data governance. Before joining NIALS, 2006, Helen practiced law for over a decade at various law firms.
Sam Oyeyele has been an active Wikipedian since 2011, contributing extensively across Wikimedia projects. He co-founded Wikimedia Nigeria, serving as Outreach Coordinator from 2015 to 2020. As a community leader in Nigeria, Sam spearheaded workshops, edit-a-thons, contests, campaigns – like Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Women, and public awareness partnerships – including the 2017 Wikipedia films which garnered millions of views. In March 2018, he launched the AfroCine Project to bridge Africa’s representation on Wikipedia through cinema, helping to create thousands of articles as a result. Sam has also played a role in shaping Wikimedia’s 2030 Movement Strategy as a consultant and working-group member. Sam currently works in Finance as a Product Manager, while continuing to champion open knowledge across the continent and beyond.
Olubusola Afolabi is a Project manager, an Open GLAM Advocate, and a seasoned professional librarian. With a fervent passion for open access to information worldwide and the digitization of works in the public domain and under open licenses, Olubusola is at the forefront of preserving and sharing knowledge. Her remarkable project management skills, combined with excellent communication abilities, have made her an invaluable asset to the open movement. She is also a committed Wikimedian and a member of the Creative Commons Global Network. She actively contributes to expanding access to valuable resources.
Daniel Obiokeke is a software developer with over five years of experience across various sectors, including Blockchain, Fintech, and Open-Knowledge. He is also a web developer who occasionally consults for businesses and startups. Previously, Daniel served as a frontend developer at Cloudbank, a digital bank facilitating money transfers and savings, which generated over $10 million in transactions. He has made significant contributions to building communities for international organizations such as Wikipedia, Product Hunt, Mozilla, and the TON blockchain network.
The new members will join the existing board members: Isaac Oloruntimilehin, Alaafiabami Oladipupo, and Bolaji Alabi. Each member brings a wealth of experience in education, technology, open advocacy, and community development, ensuring that Free Knowledge Africa remains at the forefront of promoting free knowledge, open access, and digital inclusion in Africa. Their cumulative expertise will be crucial as we grow our initiatives, build relationships, and use open information to empower more African communities.
We invite our community to join us in welcoming the new board. Together, we will continue to build a future where knowledge is free, accessible, and transformative for all.
