Africa-first. Open to the world.
OWNO helps youth, NGOs, and founders unlock ready-to-use digital tools, data commons, and practical training so they can build, govern, and grow their own futures.
An initiative connecting grassroots communities, diaspora, and digital builders across Africa and the world.
OWNO (Open World Network Organization) is a mission-driven network focused on digital power for people, not just platforms. We help communities, youth, and organizations access the tools, data, and training they need to design and own their future.
We start from Africa and conflict-affected regions, but our work is global and open. OWNO connects grassroots initiatives, diaspora builders, and digital practitioners around shared infrastructure and shared learning.
OWNO is built around four connected programs that reinforce each other: tools, data, learning, and leadership.
A library of ready-to-use digital tools and templates for NGOs, community groups, and founders: websites-in-a-box, dashboards, AI assistants, and cybersecurity kits.
A mini open data lab: conflict early warning, health & social indicators, youth employment, and more — turned into accessible visual dashboards and briefs.
Practical training in AI, digital organizing, nonprofit operations, prompt engineering, and startup building — built for real constraints on the ground.
A fellowship and studio space connecting youth leaders, civic technologists, and founders. Co-build pilots, share infrastructure, and scale what works.
OWNO is for youth-led movements, community organizations, NGOs, early-stage founders, researchers, and public institutions that are serious about doing more with digital tools and data — even when resources are limited.
We pay special attention to conflict-affected regions, displaced communities, and places where the digital divide is deepest.
OWNO is designed to connect and amplify real projects already in motion. Below are example initiatives that can sit inside or alongside the network.
Digitising Nuer oral history and cultural memory with community-owned archives and audio storytelling tools.
A regional data and leadership record hub for Upper Nile, combining history, maps, and governance data in one place.
An open data exploration initiative focused on digital literacy, access, and the digitisation of Africa’s public-interest datasets.
We are assembling the first cohort of partners, contributors, and fellows for OWNO. If you lead a project, represent an organization, or simply want to help shape this network, we’d like to hear from you.