Felix Nartey
Felix Nartey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tema, Ghana |
| Occupation(s) | Social entrepreneur, advocate |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | 2017 Wikimedian of the Year, co-founder of Open Foundation West Africa and Creative Commons Ghana |
Felix Nartey () is a Ghanaian social entrepreneur and advocate who was honored as the 2017 Wikimedian of the Year by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales during the Wikimania event. He is a co-founder of both Open Foundation West Africa and Creative Commons Ghana, acting as the lead for the latter chapter.
Early life
Born in Tema, Ghana, Nartey completed his secondary education at Pope John Secondary School in 2008. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance from Central University in 2013 and later earned an Master of Business Administration from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. During his time at Central University, he was selected as a Google Student Ambassador, which ignited his enthusiasm for technology.
Career
Following his undergraduate studies, Nartey gained experience in banking alongside extensive volunteer work. He took on the role of community manager for Wikimedia Ghana and co-established Open Foundation West Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging content creation under open licenses.
By 2017, Nartey had assumed the position of Global Coordinator for the Wikipedia Library within the Wikimedia Foundation. He subsequently progressed to become Senior Partnerships Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Wikimedia Foundation.
His leadership experience includes more than five years as board chair of Open Foundation West Africa. Currently, he contributes his expertise to the advisory boards of both Kiwix and Open Access Week.
Contributions in the Open Movement
Nartey became involved with the Wikimedia movement in 2012, focusing on creating content about Ghana and spearheading efforts to increase Wikipedia editing participation. His initiatives have included GLAM projects, the Wikipedia Education Program, addressing gender disparities, and supporting the Wikipedia Library.
He participated in several strategic groups such as the Drafting Committee for the Wikimedia Movement Strategy, the Advisory Group overseeing the Creative Commons Global Network Strategy transition, and served on the interim Global Network Council for Creative Commons. Moreover, he was an integral member of the core team behind the Firefox Africa Group.
In awarding him Wikipedian of the Year, Wales emphasized Nartey’s leadership in organizing the second Wiki Indaba conference held in Accra (2017) and acknowledged his significant contributions toward strengthening Wikimedia communities across Africa.