I was honoured with an invitation from the Global Fund to be a guest speaker at the 5th African Philanthropy Conference held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August 2024.

The 5-day gathering brought together thought leaders, activists, and philanthropists united by one goal: to drive social change and development across Africa. Sharing the platform with a panel of changemakers: Omolara Oriye (a lawyer at Liberation Alliance Africa), and Emmanuel Waiswa (the Director at Civil Collective), moderated by Ese Emerhi (from GFCF); we discussed the topic: ‘Whoever funds your social movement, owns it!’

The discussion was about changing the narrative of international funders seen as ‘rescuers’ of African communities, or Africans relying on foreign donors to drive change and development in our communities. Foreign aid (alone) doesn’t solve Africa’s deep-rooted social injustices of poverty, unemployment, violence and more. Our social movements and initiatives started through the collective resources of community members who gave their skills, time, and authentic support; the currency was not money, but a felt need for change.

A broader understanding of philanthropy

I came into the conference with a limited perception of philanthropy being about lots of money. I was pleasantly enlightened that Philanthropy is taken from a Greek word that means ‘love of humanity’.

I felt privileged to have the opportunity to immerse myself in conversations with the Honourable Graca Machel and listen to her stories of community building. I was empowered by her sharing that Ubuntu is our African philanthropy. The spirit and act of giving and sharing is philanthropy. According to her, everyone can be a philanthropist because we all have something to offer or share (whether it is time, wisdom, emotional support, or resources).

Mama Graca emphasised the equal sharing of resources, and the receiver not being treated with less respect or dignity than the giver.

Sobering realities and critical learnings

The 5th African Philanthropy Conference, was a profound learning experience, offering numerous insights from various speakers such as:

Brian Kagoro, who said, ‘Whether you teach a man to fish or not, it’s no use if there is no river to fish from’. Brian didn’t sugarcoat his message that philanthropy is a ‘toxic good’ that keeps the status quo of capitalism. I fully agree with Brian’s words: ‘Donor funding is a placebo effect to addressing core issues of social change, because no amount of international funds given for aid in Africa will shift the power of inequalities’. Africans must become owners of the value chain to build a future according to our imagination.

We speak of opening borders to promote free trade; but as ambassador Rudo Chitiga rightfully questioned: ‘Free trade of who’s products? How much of the resources we use daily are produced in Africa as finished products? Are we entrepreneurs, or just retailers of Western products?’ This hit hard – if we do not own the value chain, we are indeed retailers and consumers of international products. This does not build Africa but enslaves us further.

Professor Ali Awni expressed another sobering reality: ‘Philanthropy and spontaneous giving won’t prevent people from being hungry tomorrow’. 

He supported his statement expressing that social change needs a systemic approach that requires both government and civil society to work towards building Indigenous solutions. Yes, I believe this will take more time and discipline than throwing money at our social problems; but it is a more sustainable and authentic solution.

Abeda Birhane – a researcher and cognitive scientist, and analytics of AI revealed all the red flags about AI. The biggest mistake is thinking that AI is a superior solution to everything, especially human intervention. A more concerning fact is that only 3% of AI information is from Africa, yet globally we rely on AI for data to make important decisions, policies, and strategic engagement.

I was excited to return to South Africa to share an elevated perspective on AI, and climate change.

A Call to Action

Practically, there is still much work to be done in bringing about social change and justice. The following are important questions for us to ponder on towards redesigning a framework that will be empowering to Africa:

• Who are we as Africans?
• What agenda are we driving?
• Can we shift power while using the same framework that thrives on inequality?

The African Philanthropy Conference provides a space where we are not alone against the struggles of social injustice. Let us continue to collaborate and commit to supporting each other’s social movements and community development initiatives. We don’t have to wait for external funders to direct our cause. Instead, we should stay dedicated to the purpose, know why we started; and set clear indicators to track progress and ensure that our work contributes towards meaningful change.

Ntombi Mcoyi is the Human Rights Manager at Africa Unite.