African Philanthropy Symposium

Event African Philanthropy Symposium
Date 12-13 May
Venue Lake Naivasha, Kenya
Organizer Global Fund for Community Foundations and TrustAfrica

A lively meeting on the shores of Lake Naivasha, Kenya, brought together 20 foundation practitioners from across Africa in May 2008. The gathering was hosted by the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) and TrustAfrica.

The two-day meeting was organized within the context of the Fund’s consultation process; participants came from South Africa, Mozambique, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. The meeting had two main aims: to help GFCF to develop its programmatic framework and philosophy in Africa; and to contribute to the debate about the nature of African philanthropy, in particular through understanding emerging trends in different regions and clarifying some of the key issues around linking traditional forms of giving with ‘new’ forms of organized philanthropy.

The conversation touched on a wide range of subjects. Some of the themes that emerged were familiar to those involved with philanthropy in Africa: the importance of local resource mobilization, the need to acknowledge and engage with traditional systems of giving and to root philanthropic institutions in their communities, and the importance of long-term institutional support.

There was some particularly rich discussion around two themes in particular. First, the challenges of governance: there was a sense that organizational ‘good practice’ (particularly in terms of board governance) has sometimes been over-emphasized in foundation development, while the question of local relevance, informal networks and soft leadership may sometimes have been overlooked.

Second, the challenge of relevance: participants challenged the old dichotomy between charity and philanthropy (an immediate and relevant charitable gift can sometimes do more for social justice than a multi-year programme). However, there was also a sense that too much African philanthropy remains irrelevant in the context of social justice and that the assumptions of ‘international and expatriate-influenced models’ sometimes need to be challenged.

For more information
A full report of the meeting will be posted at www.wings-globalfund.org and www.trustafrica.org  alongside a web-based discussion.