Ford Foundation Calls For Sustainable Philanthropy In West Africa

To this end, the foundation hosted its maiden Quarterly Dialogue on Philanthropy in Nigeria event recently organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Limited.

The event’s theme focused on creating lasting impacts through sustainable philanthropy in discussion with local philanthropists. With more events on the horizon, the purpose of these Quarterly Dialogues, it stressed, will be convening local philanthropists and high-net-worth individuals across Nigeria and in other West African states to participate in dialogues that would redefine local philanthropy and promote local funding of credible civil societies.

At the event, Ford Foundation’s West Africa Regional director, Dr. ChiChi Aniagolu has called on High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in Nigeria and in the West African sub-region, to support local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the face of dwindling financial funding from foreign governments and international partners.

Dr. Aniagolu said, as a result of recent significant declines in global funding, the very existence of CSOs, who provide support and services for local communities in education, human rights, HIV awareness, among others, is threatened.  

“The election of conservative governments in the West, amidst their unique national challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with various humanitarian war conflicts around the world, have drastically reduced donor funding to Nigeria and other West African countries. 

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Yet, the needs for the interventions and services these CSOs address continue to rise as many Nigerians depend on them for support in their everyday lives,” she said.

Research and data show that Nigeria is amongst the ‘Big 5’ private wealth markets in Africa, with over 10,000 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with private wealth of USD 1 million or more. However, efforts of their philanthropic works have been uncoordinated and not channelled through recognisable CSOs, which has therefore led to short-term reliefs rather than sustainable long-term change.