Archivi.ng is a non-profit startup preserving Nigerian history by digitising old documents and democratising access for everyone. Our current focus is old and inaccessible Nigerian newspapers and magazines. We’re working to create a future where information about Nigeria and Africa is accessible, and dependable. We say we’re a non-profit startup because we are on the brink of an irreparable loss, and if we don’t act now, we’re at risk of losing this information forever. And so, our work requires the urgency and agility to move quickly and grow as quickly as we can, just like start-ups do. However, we recognize that cost is often a barrier to accessibility, so we are committed to keeping information accessible, while figuring out ways to make this sustainable in the long term.

“News is only the rough first draft of history.” Alan Barth. Journalists show up everyday to do one job: collect everything happening in the world around them, from the mundane to the monumental. Their work encoding the zeitgeist becomes our context. All industries thrive on existing infrastructure and the infrastructure of all knowledge is context. Context helps us understand why things are the way they are today. Making all this context available with minimal friction will drastically improve the quality of thought today by preserving and safeguarding Nigeria’s history and knowledge. The belief that an entity is only as conscious as a knowledge of itself keeps us going. Knowledge is rooted in context. If we have no context of ourselves, then what are we?

Several, but two recurring problems persist. First, access to these materials continue to remain a problem, from the bureaucracy we have to experience, to chasing down defunct publishers. We solve this by persisting, and getting creative with access. For example, we’re always looking for people with old private archives that we can digitise to bypass the bureaucracy. Our second problem is money. Our work is resource-intensive, requiring the full-time commitment of our core team, even with the help of volunteers. You can learn more about the Economics of Archiving here. Your donation makes everything possible, while we figure out sustainability long-term.

On April 17, 2023, we scanned our first newspaper, and since then, we’ve scanned over 80,000 pages, with 50,000 of them being currently accessible to you. Since launching the first version of Archivi.ng Search, over 20,000 people have showed up to find answers to their questions, from politics, to the economy, and even personal histories.

We’re currently in the first phase of Archivi.ng and our goal is to digitise any newspapers and magazines from 1960 till 2010. We’re going to have accomplished this by March 2025. This $100k round of funding helps us to accomplish this goal as a bare minimum.

• Expand our archiving operations. • Expand the team. • Improve your experience with Archivi.ng.

First, donate. The more you donate, the more you push us closer to our goal. After donating, help us spread the word; you saw this because someone spread the word. Pay it forward.

We believe your donation has timeless impact. And so, we’re going to digitise pages in your name. And so, everyone who visits Archivi.ng and accesses a newspaper knows who made it happen. Check the rewards page to learn more.

Yes, you can. We’re going to be reaching out to you and every donor, before we start rolling out the newspaper credits.

You still get newspapers archived in your name. We have a record of your donations, and we’ll also be archiving pages in your name.

We’ll be sending emails about our progress, while keeping you, and everyone else updated across social media. Follow us here on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

The funds we’ve raised over the past few years has gone into setting up our archiving operations and building out a team. You can learn more about it here.

Use the archives, leave some feedback, help us with access. Anything that accelerates our work, and secures our future work that you can think of, that’d be great. If you have any specific questions, email Fuad@Archivi.ng