Category: News

On this #WorldAIDSDay , we shine a spotlight on the women leading the fight against HIV. In partnership with the Leading from the South (LFS) consortium, we stand in solidarity with African women-led organizations like the Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS (COWLHA), the African Girls Empowerment Network (AGEN), and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), who are at the forefront of tackling the HIV epidemic in Africa. These women—activists, community leaders, and advocates—are driving change and offering transformative solutions to the HIV crisis. They are not only fighting the virus but also challenging the stigma and discrimination that often accompanies it. Their leadership is proof that grassroots, women-led initiatives are essential in the global response to HIV/AIDS.

 

Leading from the South (LFS) is a feminist, South-South global consortium designed and managed by four prominent women’s funds: the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Fondo de Mujeres del Sur, FIMI – International Indigenous Women’s Forum, and Women’s Fund Asia. Together, these organizations amplify the voices of women from the Global South, ensuring that they are central to global conversations and actions around HIV/AIDS. Their collective efforts are helping to shape policies, raise awareness, and build local capacity to address the HIV epidemic in ways that are sensitive to the realities and needs of women in the Global South.

The leadership and expertise of these women are vital in the fight against HIV, and it is crucial that we continue to support and elevate their work. By amplifying local voices and empowering women to take charge of their health, we can work towards a world free from HIV, discrimination, and inequality.

Let’s unite in this effort, strengthen our solidarity, and continue to take action together.

 

Bintou Mariam Traoré, communications Officer

Are you getting ready for the upcoming AWID Forum 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand? We sure are!

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is excited to join this global gathering of feminist activists, thinkers, and changemakers from 2-5 December 2024. Under the empowering theme of “Rising Together: Connect, Heal, Thrive,” AWID 2024 promises to be a transformative experience, and we are honoured to support and contribute to shaping its agenda.

At AWDF, we have been working tirelessly to co-create dynamic spaces that will reinvigorate the African Feminist Charter, strategise around countering the worrying rise of anti-rights movements, and amplify the powerful narratives of African feminists everywhere. 

Here is a glimpse of what we have in store:

Pan-African and Feminist Philanthropies: Building Alternative Narratives and Practices (organised jointly by Harambee-Ubuntu, the Adoye network of African women in philanthropy, AWDF and JASS)

Join us for an interactive and participatory strategy session about opportunities and challenges in the current philanthropic landscape in Africa, and discuss alternative analysis, practices and approaches coming from the African continent and the diaspora. I look forward to being in conversation with Theo Sowa, Leila Heissini (both independent feminist philanthropy thinkers and doers), Ttsitsi Midzi (Urgent Action Fund – Africa) and Shireen Essof (JASS), and you all, about what it will take to reshape existing philanthropic systems to be truly in service of gender justice in Africa, and how other regions can be inspired by practices and lessons from the continent.  

Date: 2 December 2024

Time: 11:45 am – 01:30 pm

Venue: Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre

Resourcing feminist movements in French-speaking Africa (organised jointly by AWDF and the Foundation for a Just Society) 

Over half of the countries in Africa are French-speaking, but feminists working in the region are overstretched and underfunded, as funding opportunities, movement organising and advocacy spaces are set up with English speakers in mind. From Mali to Burundi, feminist movements are facing conflicts and political instability, the effects of climate change, rising anti-rights ideologies, all with limited support. How can funders show up for feminists across French-speaking Africa?

Join the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), Foundation for a Just Society (FJS), and activists from the region for a conversation on the current state of feminist organizing in French-speaking Africa, and how funders can step up. Whether you have funded on the continent for years or are interested in learning more, this space is for you. Delicious snacks and coffee will be provided. Click here to RSVP by December 1st

Date: 3 December 2024 

Time: 2 pm to 3.30 pm

Venue: Workshop,  15/1 Yenakart Road, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok 

AWDF: Resistance, love and Poetry: Reinvigorating the African Feminist Charter and Countering anti-rights organising

This strategy session aims to harness the power of collective feminist analysis within a co-creative space where we can dream, weave and build together. The purpose of the sessions is to explore approaches for reinvigorating the African Feminist Charter, focusing on addressing key themes around feminist resistance, love, and poetry. We are thinking of engaging with poetry as a depth of language, love as a cornerstone of organising and resistance as the power to hold the line, push the line or erase the line when need be. 

Date: 3 December 2024 

Time:16:15 – 17:30 pm

Venue: Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre 

Room: 109 B

KOMBOA Strategy Session – Let’s Protect the Maputo Protocol

The Maputo Protocol is under threat, and  has been explicitly targeted by anti-rights movements over the past few years.How do we join forces and protect and strengthen our movements as they face increasing attacks from the opposition? Join the Komboa consortium – a grantmaking and advocacy alliance between AWDF, Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO), Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Purposeful, and the Doria Feminist Fund – for this important conversation.  Spaces are limited, so please register here .

Date: 4 December 2024 

Time: 7:30 – 9:30 am 

Venue: Workshop – 15/1 Yenakart Road, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok

In addition to these side activities, we have sponsored the participation of African feminists, activists and movements, ensuring their vital voices are heard loud and clear at AWID 2024.

We invite you to connect with us at these side events, stay in community and engage with us online #AWDFatAWID2024! Share your side activities with us, we would love to engage and be in community with you too.

 

 

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we stand united. From Mali to Togo, Congo to Nigeria, it’s time to act. Let’s raise our voices and drive change across Africa. #16DaysOfActivism

Bintou Mariam Traoré, communications Officer

On November 25, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) joins the world in observing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women commemorated under the theme UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women & Girls!  This day which marks the beginning of the Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence,  highlights the ongoing global crisis of gender-based violence (GBV), which continues to rise despite progress in advocacy and legal protections. AWDF believes that ending GBV requires more than legal reforms and protective measures—it demands a fundamental shift in societal attitudes toward women’s rights. From West Africa to the Horn of Africa, women-led movements are at the forefront of this struggle, but they need more than support—they need sustained, concrete action.

 

AWDF’s Commitment to Ending Sexual Violence in West Africa

Sexual violence remains a pervasive issue in West Africa. According to a UN Women report (2018), over 60% of women in the region have experienced physical or sexual violence, with many survivors facing barriers to justice due to weak legal frameworks, inadequate support services, and prevailing social norms that condone such violence.

AWDF’s commitment to ending sexual violence focuses on strengthening local responses, bolstering legal protections, and creating safer spaces for survivors. In partnership with the Ford Foundation, OSIWA, and other local organizations, AWDF has launched an initiative to address and prevent sexual violence across West Africa. This initiative strengthens the capacity of women’s rights organizations to provide direct services to survivors, advocate for stronger laws, and shift harmful cultural norms that perpetuate sexual violence.

Through the KASA Initiative, AWDF has supported organizations to train over 300 law enforcement officers and reached 10,000 community members with educational programs on preventing sexual violence. By supporting local actors and leveraging international funding, AWDF is addressing the root causes of sexual violence and ensuring stronger protections for women and girls.

Discover inspiring stories from the AWDF’s KASA program, supporting feminist initiatives across Africa, and a concerning article on the 196 reported cases of rape in Senegal in the first half of 2024, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen efforts against sexual violence.

Learn more about KASA grantee stories
Read an article on sexual violence in Senegal

Strengthening Community Resilience and Feminist Solidarity

Feminist movements across Africa have shown remarkable resilience in the face of growing attacks from anti-rights groups. Through initiatives, we continue to build stronger, more resilient communities that can withstand patriarchal violence.

One of AWDF’s key pillars is solidarity. As global threats to women’s rights increase, the strength of our collective response becomes more critical. Through alliances like the  LFS Fund, we are fostering a culture of mutual support. These networks allow women’s rights organizations, activists, and survivors of violence to come together to heal, strategize, and take collective action.

In Uganda, for example, through the LFS Fund, AWDF has partnered with local women’s organizations to provide legal aid and psychosocial support to survivors of sexual violence. This partnership has enabled over 4,000 survivors to access justice and healing services, and it has helped local communities become more active in combating violence through community dialogues and public education campaigns.

Explore the powerful stories of LFS grantees supporting feminist activism in the Global South, and learn about five more years of funding to sustain and expand these critical movements.

Read the LFS grantee stories

The Growing Threat of Anti-Rights Movements

Across Africa, anti-rights movements are gaining momentum, threatening the rights of women and girls. From Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act to recent rollbacks of sexual and reproductive health rights in Somalia, these regressive movements are a direct challenge to women’s rights. According to the UN Women’s Global Database on ViolenceAgainst Women, one in three women globally experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, with African women facing some of the highest rates of sexual violence.

In Somalia, the repeal of the Sexual Offences Bill exemplifies the dangers posed by these movements. The bill, which sought to criminalize sexual violence, was a significant step forward in women’s rights. Its repeal has not only left women vulnerable to further violence but also highlights the vulnerability of legal protections in the face of regressive political agendas.

The Komboa Consortium, is Inspired by African feminist values of sisterhood, solidarity and mutual aid, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO), Purposeful, Doria Feminist Fund, and Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), have joined forces and resources to create Komboa (“Liberate” in Swahili) a feminist consortium that supports communities threatened by the rise of anti-rights and anti-gender movements.

Inspired by African feminist values of sisterhood, solidarity and mutual aid, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO), Purposeful, Doria Feminist Fund, and Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), have joined forces and resources to create Komboa (“Liberate” in Swahili) a feminist consortium that supports communities threatened by the rise of anti-rights and anti-gender movements.

 

The Role of International Advocacy and Accountability

AWDF recognizes that international advocacy is crucial in shaping global norms around gender-based violence. By collaborating with regional and international actors, AWDF plays a critical role in resourcing and nurturing organizations that hold governments accountable for their commitments under international human rights frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol. By providing financial support and capacity-building, AWDF empowers grassroots organizations to advocate for the full implementation of these human rights instruments, ensuring that governments are held responsible for advancing gender equality and women’s rights across the continent.

Through policy dialogues and advocacy campaigns, AWDF continues to pressure governments to ensure stronger legal frameworks that prevent and respond to gender-based violence. For example, after a two-year advocacy campaign led by AWDF and local partners, the Kenyan government passed the Sexual Offenses Act, which provides stronger protections for women and girls, including harsher penalties for sexual violence and clearer guidelines for survivor support.

 

A Call to Action

On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, AWDF calls on governments, civil society, and individuals across Africa and beyond to unite in the fight against violence. We urge continued investments in women’s rights organizations, especially those led by women in marginalized communities, and call on each individual to actively participate in ending gender-based violence. Whether through advocacy, education, or direct support for survivors, every action counts.

Let us come together to build a future where women and girls are safe, respected, and able to live free from fear of violence—today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

 

Bintou Mariam Traoré, communications Officer

Our team is growing  at AWDF,

Are you a dynamic individual  with experience in facilitating cross-regional movement-building, conceptualising and coordinating multi-stakeholder regional and international level events? Are you familiar with or excited about African feminist organising structures and tools like the African Feminist Forums (AFFs), the Charter of Feminist Principles for African Feminists and various Non AFF communities within which activists and movements organise?

Are you excited about steering initiatives linked to key moments like the 20th anniversary of the Charter and the AFFs and mobilising resources, people, processes and spaces to honour, reflect and celebrate such moments?

Are you comfortable with navigating multiple stakeholder interests, providing strategic leadership and thought to diverse autonomous co-leadership groups, funders, grantee partners, and diverse movement entities to foster solidarity, partnerships and community? We would like you to join our team!

Then this could be the opportunity that you are looking for.

How to Apply:

To apply  check out more information  and apply HERE

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Wednesday, 27th November 2024. Due to our limited capacity, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for additional information and interviews.

By Dinnah Nwabire,

Cape Town, 6 November: For Nandis in all our diversities.

“Did you see Nandi? She stepped up to the performance stage at the opening Gala, grabbed the microphone and immersed the crowd in the power of her voice as she sang Mafikizolo’s Ndihamba Nawe – it was like a revolution!”

Jodi Williams, a colleague at the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) shared this highlight of Nandi (the real activist’s name is listed in the credits) in our team debrief from last week’s Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum. The forum convened over 1,500 global researchers, practitioners, survivors, activists, and funders focused on addressing violence against women and children (VAW&C).

Across the forum, one could not miss the bold intention and the visible actions by the Sexual Violence Research Initiative to hold space for, among others, African feminist researchers, queer people, survivors, activists, and global South-based movements to equitably engage.

Nandi, a lead activist with the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) was sponsored to access the SVRI Forum by AWDF, a pan-African feminist fund. As it were, she was not a listed performer but as soon as she could, she seized the stage, grabbed the microphone and sparked a powerful charge that sustained the energy in the room with her passion, skill, courage and stewardship. For millions of global South-based partners on whose invisibilised labour we stand, this claiming of space is not an unfamiliar pattern.

I left the team debrief with a lingering question. What could go right, if more Nandis not only accessed, but equitably shared centrality and voice in rooms filled with big-profile non-profits and a complex co-existence of the global North and South hierarchies? This article shares my reflections from communing with frontline activists, researchers, survivors, funder staff and new friends I made at the forum. It showcases the desired change, courage, fatigue, and leadership brought to the fore by several Nandis. Lastly, it invites us to advance truly feminist and decolonial convening spaces that centre the most excluded among us.

Before the convenings: We know that access is not a given…

Convenings are built on weeks and months of planning processes that are critical entry points to address historical participation barriers. The limited funding to most marginalised people’s organising exacerbates their exclusion as many cannot afford set registration fees, pre-paid session costs or air tickets and accommodation. Funder sponsorships like travel grants and bursaries can enable conveners to achieve equitable access to hosted forums. Without this funding, we will continue to recycle the usual voices both from the global North and the South which further narrows our perspective of the actual issues at hand.

In particular, what could go right is that funding access for more Nandis is a critical step in enabling the decentering of International NGOs that predominantly have guaranteed access funds to convenings. It also neutralises South-based intellectual hierarchies to usher in new and unfamiliar bodies, voices and leadership that enriches impact for gender justice.

Aside from affordability, it was disappointing to listen to colleagues list activists denied Cape Town visas. Inequitable, racist and xenophobic visa laws continue to disproportionately disadvantage participants from Africa and other global South countries. Conveners must choose host countries with lesser restrictions as a bare minimum. This sometimes means putting convening outcomes over pre-defined physical countries of work by host partners. Yet, these are just a few of the outermost layers on the ‘participation onion’ many Nandis must peel off to access. More layers unfold once they are in the actual convening spaces!

Disrupt and challenge exclusion within actual convening spaces

Any kind of disruption is uncomfortable for power and privilege, so, definitely many things could go right with the slightest attempt to divert from the norm. For Nandis, many must step out of crowds where it feels ‘safe’ to create own platforms of visibility and co-leadership.

Conveners and funders must meet this labour halfway by enabling most excluded people to influence the agendas and contribute to debate as speakers, moderators, facilitators, performers or presenters. It is critical to ensure that the politics of inclusion that define the broad forums and convenings genuinely trickle into conversation rooms like parallel sessions, side events or poster areas. Asking key questions like who accesses microphones, who gets spotlighted and who gets access to podiums, how frequently, why and why not can help conveners to flatten hierarchies in all sessions.

Connect the dots by tapping into national voices and movements

International and regional convening spaces often prioritise ‘flying in’ speakers, performers and other content leads with minimal attention to national, local and community-based movements in the host countries and regions. The irony of what could have otherwise gone right is the missed opportunity to enable audiences to connect the dots with what happens right under our noses. Nothing disconnects us more from the pressing needs of movements.

As a part of a national sex worker collective, activists like Nandi in themselves embody a discomfort to the ways discrimination finds itself in convening spaces. Thus, funding their presence is a political act against erasure. Elsewhere, South-based feminist funds have argued that what makes feminist collectives, activists and feminist funders unique, is, among others, their connection to the issues they seek to address through lived experiences and sharing of community. Prioritising community and national movements in host countries is a critical reminder of how close we are to the issues and how grounding in this knowledge validates and regenerates our organising.

Enabling what could go right: some critical priorities

1. Visibilise the Nandis

A lot of the work led by individual activists and non-traditional entities remains largely shadowed by International NGOs and big-brand nonprofits. In the exhibition hall, groups of Nandis from ‘unregistered’ collectives wondered what alternatives there were to visibility in a space taken up by big brand logos that left minimal space for them to connect and share their work in intimate non-conventional ways.

Similarly, in session rooms, several Nandis called out their fatigue from ‘collaborative’ studies that never mentioned them or the collectives they affiliated to. Their intellect, labour, lived realities and unique knowledge of study communities, erased by ‘well-meaning’ global North researchers and South-based agents of intellectual hierarchies who proudly called on them to come and “briefly share testimonies” after main study presentations were done. Conveners must track who the lead researchers are and how non-researcher experts and participating communities, activists and volunteers are credited, cited and visibilised.

1. Pursue long-term transformation

Convening spaces must enable the reimagining of how systems of oppression are constructed and deliberately seek to disrupt those patterns. If the goal is to decolonise the global research economy, Nandis demand more of us than exchanging tips for equitable partnerships between global North and global South researchers. We can identify and sponsor the centring of lead global South voices on subjects of decolonisation, research and gender like African feminist Sylvia Tamale to promote the needed consciousness and narrative shifts in convenings. In addition, the use of theatre and opportunities for multilingual engagement that includes bringing in non-colonial languages will radically transform our convening spaces.

1. Centre care and healing

For many Nandis, it is already many years of dealing with extractive research approaches and the harm of violence on their bodies and souls. These wounds often get re-opened in convening spaces with available but not fully encompassing spaces and tools for collective care, healing and wellness. Funders must accompany conveners to access and install diverse healing and collective care tools that embody the politics of decoloniality beyond Western medicalised framings of mental health and wellness.

Credits with permission

• The identity of Nandi depicted in this article seeks to honour the leadership of Pam Ntshekula and the work of the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), the biggest sex worker organization in South Africa that advocates for full decriminalisation of  sex work.
• I acknowledge the input of Elizabeth Dartnall and Lizle Loots of the SVRI and Jodi Williams and Nana Zulu at AWDF.
• Photo courtesy of SVRI

Written by: Dinnah Nabwire | Independent Policy Researcher and Programmes Manager – Nurturing at the African Women’s Development Fund

AWDF will be joining researchers, feminists, activists, practitioners and policy makers in the upcoming Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum 2024, taking place from 21-25 October in Cape Town, South Africa. As part of our participation, we have supported 17 partners from across Africa to attend this crucial event, amplifying African feminist voices in the global conversation on ending sexual violence. 

In 2022, AWDF made an impactful appearance at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative which was held in Mexico in September. Among the activities facilitated by AWDF were a partner-led knowledge circle, donor engagement on decolonized and ethical funding, and dialogue for power and control in research and Southern–feminist led forum to showcase the LFS Model. 

This year’s SVRI Forum presents an excellent opportunity for AWDF to showcase our crucial work on sexual violence, particularly our KASA! Initiative. We will be advocating for increased funding and deepening partnerships within the feminist funds and sexual violence funding ecosystem. Additionally, we aim to expand our knowledge and experience regarding evidence-based sexual violence interventions.

Key AWDF and Partner-led Activities at SVRI Forum 2024: 

AWDF and COFEM Poster Presentation

The SVRI poster presentation session is designed to showcase innovative research and programmes, facilitate in-depth discussions, and promote greater interaction between presenters and participants.

• Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
• Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
• Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center 2

African Feminist Knowledge Circle

Led by the Knowledge and Voice team,  the African Feminist Knowledge Circles are an  evolving space where African feminists convene to share identities, stories, tools, politics and approaches from their many journeys of challenging the patriarchy. This activity is only open to identified partners and participants. 

Rest & Resistance Workshop

The Solidarity and Care team has over the years learnt the importance of creating an environment and space that is a cocoon for activists to retreat into. For this workshop, the cocoon will be a softly lit room, a curated playlist of black healing music to set the tone for a peaceful and restorative experience. Spaces for this activity are limited. You are urged to attend early for a spot.

• Date: Thursday, 24th October 2024
• Time: 12pm – 1:50pm
• Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center 2

Flourish Retreat

The Retreat will involve three interconnected processes led by the facilitators and the chef. Activists will engage in rituals rooted in indigenous African practices that focus on anchoring, honouring, and connecting to the self, each other, and nature for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. This activity is only open to identified partners and individuals. 

We invite all attendees to connect with us during these sessions and throughout the forum. It is an invaluable opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another, and strengthen our collective efforts in combating violence agains women and gender diverse people and promoting gender equality.

Here is the full programme of the SVRI forum where you will find details of these and other very insightful activities at the forum.

Connect with AWDF online X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Follow our live updates from the forum using #AWDFatSVRI. 

Recently, AWDF held a Voice, Power and Soul festival in Accra, Ghana, which showcased the power and diversity of African feminist voices. This event brought together artists, thinkers, and changemakers to challenge the erasure of African feminist narratives. 

At its core, the festival celebrated indigenous ways of knowing, being, and creating as integral parts of liberatory praxis. It boldly challenged the erasure of African feminist narratives, placing storytelling, indigenous knowledge, memory, and lived experiences at the forefront of feminist discourse.

This transformative journey served as a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of African feminist voices. It highlighted their crucial role in shaping our collective future and driving positive change across the continent. This event speaks to our strategic priorities geared to shape and amplify positive narratives of African women and African feminism.

Read the magazine here and watch the video highlight of the festival below.

Accra, 4 September: The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is hosting 40 participants  for a feminist financial management learning offering in Accra, Ghana from 4-11 September 2024.

Attendees included in this engagement have been drawn from  partners supported under the Leading From the South programme   and Foundation for a Just Society  (FJSI)  as well as non-funded entities.

This learning offering responds to gaps identified in  the AWDF  Programmes mapping of entities in feminist movements which highlighted critical gaps in reaching entities within women’s and feminist movements that do not meet mainstream categorisations of “traditional grantee partners”. These include individual activists and unregistered collectives. Influenced by a feminist movement centered approach to  financial management this space has been created to build stronger partnerships, inclusion,  accountability and flexibility.

The  Arabic, French and English speaking partners who are part of this offering will have an opportunity  to engage in  peer learning and sharing, connecting and knowledge exchange , fostering a deep understanding of each other’s diverse contexts  and experiences.

This financial management learning offering is being hosted in alignment with AWDF’s Lemlem Strategic Priority 1 on Resourcing and accompanying African Women’s Rights and Feminist movements.

Written By Afua Gyapomaa,

Accra, 28 August 2024: I had the privilege of attending the 5th African Philanthropy Conference (APC), held from July 29 to August 2, 2024, at the Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The conference, themed ‘The Next Frontiers of African Philanthropy’, was a transformative experience that offered profound insights into the evolving landscape of African philanthropy.

The theme captured APC’s essence, focusing on innovative strategies and emerging trends reshaping traditional philanthropic models. This year’s APC was not just a gathering of professionals; it was a movement—a convergence of like-minded individuals and organisations committed to redefining the boundaries of philanthropy in Africa.

The week-long conference featured diverse discussions on topics ranging from the role of digital technologies to the importance of climate science and innovative financing models. An impactful discussion centred around how philanthropy can address colonial injustices and promote cultural preservation through restitution and reparations. These conversations emphasised the need to understand historical contexts to create meaningful and lasting impact. This is particularly relevant as African philanthropy increasingly grapples with colonialism’s legacy and its continuing effects on the continent. The conference highlighted the critical integration of technologies like AI and robotics in philanthropy, stressing the need for responsible use to benefit the greater good. It also underscored the vital role of young leaders in shaping inclusive strategies and enhancing the sector, particularly in fostering practices that empower marginalised communities.

Personal reflections: a time of growth

Participating in the APC was an enriching experience, professionally and personally. The exchange of ideas and the collective wisdom of the participants broadened my perspective on the power of philanthropy to drive social change. The conference reaffirmed my belief that African philanthropy is at a pivotal point, where tradition meets innovation and where collective efforts can truly make a difference. The sessions on feminist philanthropy and governance were particularly impactful. These discussions highlighted the importance of centring the perspectives of historically marginalised groups and ensuring transparency and accountability in all philanthropic endeavours. The feminist lens, in particular, challenged participants to think critically about how philanthropy can be more inclusive and equitable. It aligns closely with the values emphasised in my work, where the focus is on creating fair and just systems for all.

Read more

Afua Gyapomaa is the Partnerships and Philantrophy Officer at AWDF. This article was originally published in  the Alliance Magazine, official media partner for the 5th African Philantrophy Conference 2024.