African Grantmakers Network Assembly

‘We will fight for our independence. We will do things our way,’ declared one participant on the closing afternoon of the 1st Pan African Assembly of the African Grantmakers Network (AGN). His sentiment was echoed by many over the course of the three-day gathering in Nairobi. For too long, many argued, Africans have been too dependent on US and European donors and their methodologies. The time has come for African philanthropy to step up, strengthen and expand its capacities, and forge a new path for giving – ‘setting the African agenda for philanthropy’, as the conference’s subtitle put it.

The ability to do just that was made evident by the roster of over 230 participants, with representatives from nearly 50 grantmaking organizations from 13 countries from around Africa, with the largest contingents coming from South Africa and Kenya.

In the opening plenary, Gerry Salole, chair of TrustAfrica, reminded participants that philanthropy is nothing new in Africa: it’s only western-style philanthropy that’s new. The innate generosity within African societies was another theme that threaded through the conference. From traditional forms of giving and mutual aid to remittances from the African diaspora and the nascent community of wealthy Africans who are setting up foundations, there is ample evidence that a culture of giving is on the rise. ‘The money in this continent is enough to turn this around,’ said one conference speaker. The challenge for this community, then, is to nurture and channel it.

Plenaries and breakout workshops covered a range of topics, including sustainability, leadership, grantmaking practice and resource mobilization. The rich programme also included site visits to local NGOs led by two of Kenya’s largest foundations, the Kenya Community Development Foundation and Safaricom Foundation.

Certainly a highlight of the conference for many was a downright rambunctious general session debate on the motion ‘African grantmaking organizations are no different from funding agencies in the US and Europe’. While both sides had their moments of triumph, the pulse of the audience seemed to be this: although African grantmakers have many advantages over Northern funders − they are close to and often embedded in local communities, they work from experience rather than theory, and much more − too often African grantmakers have adopted practices from the North that are unhelpful and even detrimental, and there is an urgent need for revision and reform along independent African lines. ‘We have to stop following the donors and start following the communities’ was how one speaker put it.

At AGN’s annual membership meeting, held over breakfast on the second day of the conference, members voted on a range of issues, including a statement of core values, membership criteria and strategic objectives. The latter number four: voice and action for African philanthropy, leveraging leadership and influence, knowledge management, and collaboration and partnership. AGN’s members agreed that their assemblies will be held every two years, the next to take place in southern Africa in 2012. In the meantime, AGN will hire a coordinator and carry out a menu of activities that will support its strategic objectives.

AGN’s 1st Pan African Assembly appears from all angles to have been a resounding success. Hopes and expectations have now risen for this emergent network that should in the years ahead play a critical role for and within African philanthropy.

Event 1st Pan African Assembly
Date 3-5 November 2010
Location Nairobi, Kenya
Organizer African Grantmakers Network

For more information
www.africangrantmakersnetwork.org

John Harvey recently stepped down as executive director of Grantmakers Without Borders and is currently in Africa learning about philanthropy there. Email JohnHarveyinAfrica@gmail.com