we’re on a mission to recapture Lost nigerian history
HOW WE STARTED
Our Story
At Archivi.ng, we digitise Nigeria’s old newspapers and magazines to preserve history and make it accessible to everyone. Our collections open a window to the past, empowering people to explore, learn, and connect history to the present.
From publishing new stories in The Archivist to nurturing a community of practice, everything we do has one goal: to keep history alive and within reach.
We're Making History Come Alive
We make it easy for you to discover the stories, moments, and voices that has shaped Nigeria as we know, making it one click away.
Digitise archival materials
We digitise old newspapers and magazines, transforming delicate archives into digital collections that will stand the test of time.
Make them easy to discover
Our archives are fully searchable, allowing you to explore, connect with, and uncover the stories that shaped our world.
Enable sensemaking
Through The Archivist and The Archivi.ng Fellowship, we transform preserved history into meaningful insights that connect the past to the present.
“Archivi.ng aims to capture not only a snapshot of Nigeria's political, social and cultural history, but also to create an open resource for the public, researchers and journalists.”
Timeline & Milestones
A brief journey into Archivi.ng's history.
2020
Archivi.ng introduced to the World
- 2021
Making it official
Registered as a non-profit. Bureaucracy wasn’t fun, but hey — history deserves paperwork too
2022Setbacks happen
Our shiny scanner got stuck in global supply chain chaos. For a while, Archivi.ng was mostly… imagination and stubbornness
- 2023
The work begins
Scanner finally arrived. We digitised our first paper in April and hit 50,000 pages by October. Worth the wait.
2024Momentum kicks in
Luminate committed $160k to support The Archivist. We launched our Fellowship. Archivi.ng stopped being “a nice idea” and started becoming a thing.
- 2025
The More Things Change
We’re digging into Nigeria’s cycles of history with our boldest project yet: The More Things Change.
Our Core Values
We are guided by our six core values and we will never compromise on them
Engage with curiosity
Archivi.ng started as an act of curiosity. We believe curious people care, and caring adds purpose to even the most mundane activities. As such, we remain committed to asking questions, finding the answers and sharing our discoveries with the world.
Own your work
Think long-term, work backwards
Documentation is critical
Continuous Improvement
Community is core
Archivi.ng started as an act of curiosity. We believe curious people care, and caring adds purpose to even the most mundane activities. As such, we remain committed to asking questions, finding the answers and sharing our discoveries with the world.
Our Core Team are the full-time builders preserving Nigeria’s history
Fu'ad Lawal
Chief Archivist
Ibilolia Akahome
Business Operations
Samson Toromade
Storytelling & Community
Olalekan Ojumu
Research
Owolawi Kehinde
Art Director & Brand Design
Abdullahi Fatima Zahra
Business Operations
Exon Nkemchor
Product Design
Boyega Taiwo Adediran
Archiving Operations
Kehinde Oni-Ajayi
Archiving Operations
Mariam Abdulsalam
Storytelling & Community
Muhammed Bello
Storytelling & Community
Adeoluwa Henshaw
Brand Design
Damilola Nwachi
Data & Growth
Our Advisors are seasoned operators and culture leaders guiding our mission.
Tomiwa Aladekomo
CEO of Big Cabal Media (publishers of TechCabal and Zikoko), building next-gen African media brands.
Anu Adasolum
Co-founder & CEO of Sabi, a leading B2B marketplace connecting global buyers to African producers
Stanley Achonu
Former Nigeria Director at ONE Campaign; previously helped lead Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership work and supported open-data reforms and civil-society engagement
Ojoma Ochai
Managing Director of Co-creation Hub (CcHUB); previously Managing Partner/Director of CcHUB’s Creative Economy Practice, driving research, advocacy, and ecosystem growth across Africa.
Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún
Nigerian linguist and writer; publisher of Olongo Africa, founder of the YorùbáName project. Led the team that created the Nigerian English voice at Google in Nigeria
Kadaria Ahmed
Journalist and media entrepreneur; CEO of RadioNow 95.3FM. Began her career at the BBC and has led major public-interest journalism initiatives in Nigeria.
Our Contributing Experts are independent practitioners embedded on active projects
Hannah Kates
Product & Data
Farouq Oyebiyi
Engineering
Ted Oladele
Product Design
Chika Ehirim-Nmor
Research
Aisha Oyegunle
Engineering
Ruth Zakari
Content & Programmes
Tosin Adeyemi
Finance
Diseye Naasin
People & Culture
Ruby Igwe
Grants & Partnerships
Early supporters
We're supported by foundation grants and private donations. We also work with a broad network of partners that have contributed to our growth and visibility immensely. If you want to partner with us, please send us an email to start@archivi.ng.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We’ve got answers. We cover all questions on our process for you
Is Archivi.ng digitising only newspapers?
Eventually, we want to archive every newspaper and magazine from every period in Nigeria's history. But we'll archive materials in other formats, including audio and video.
Why don't you use a regular scanner?
High-resolution images are important for our project because we need to be able to reproduce the original documents accurately. They contain historical content that needs to be preserved. Also, users will be viewing the archives through a screen, and the images need to be sharp and detailed.
How's Archivi.ng funded?
We're funded by private donations and foundation grants. If you'd like to donate, do it here. If you know a foundation or grant programme that might support our mission, let's talk!
How do you spend the money you've raised?
We're a non-profit, and so, all the money raised goes into ensuring the continuity of our work.
What types of materials can be archived?
We're presently archiving old Nigerian newspapers from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 2010.
What's the biggest challenge for Archivi.ng?
- Funding to ensure the continuity of our project.
- Getting permission from publishers to scan and provide public access to archived newspapers.