The Ford Foundation Office of West Africa, has urged Nigerians in the diaspora to support its work on environmental and development issues in the Niger Delta. Speaking in London at the first edition of the ‘African Philanthropy Dialogues’ in collaboration with PaTiTi Consulting, Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director of the foundation, urged diasporans to channel their philanthropic efforts through CSOs in Africa.
Aniagolu-Okoye expressed concern over the dwindling philanthropic landscape in Africa, emphasizing the opportunities available to diasporans to create lasting change in Africa.
“We find local CSOs to be very effective in delivering the needed change we envision for Africa because they are closer to the communities, understand the issues, have built networks in the communities and with governments, and possess cross-cutting measures to tackle developmental issues in a more cost-effective way,” Aniagolu-Okoye said.
Theo Sowa, former Director of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), stated that Africans must redefine their concept of philanthropy to create a sense of ownership in the continent’s philanthropic space. Sowa explained that the only way Africans can address issues back home is by investing in projects and initiatives and moving away from the narrative of distrust among Africans.
“Philanthropy is part of us! That’s why we need to be intentional about how we practice philanthropy and how we speak about it, so that it’s more relevant to our communities,” Sowa said. “It’s time we see each other as philanthropists because we hold the power to make a difference in the lives of others through our resources, time, and service. We need to get out of the mindset and narrative that we can’t trust ourselves as Africans to address our own issues. If we don’t trust ourselves, we won’t even survive.
“Let’s work together through your funding so that we can see the transformation we want on our continent.”
Panelists, including Aniagolu-Okoye, Chukwuka Monye, Managing Partner of Ciuci Consulting, and Imma Ndey, People Leader at Accenture, shared practical lessons from their activities and initiatives in addressing some of Africa’s socio-economic issues.
There was also a fireside chat between Adam Heal, Director of Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), and Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima, Senior Program Officer at the Ford Foundation OWA, who presented participants with real-life experiences on how diaspora funding through local CSOs can drive meaningful change.
