In pursuit of inspiring renewed commitment and investment for local philanthropy in Africa, renowned physician in the field of internal and emergency medicine – and co-founder of the Grace Emergency Room – Dr. Ayo Ajim delivered the keynote speech at the African Diaspora Philanthropy Dialogues second edition held in Houston.
The African Diaspora Philanthropy Dialogues is an initiative under the Ford Foundation Office of West Africa’s (OWA’s) Sustainable Philanthropy Dialogue series, which seeks to strengthen philanthropy’s ecosystem of support by creating the necessary conditions for philanthropy to thrive – through addressing the mode of cooperation between stakeholders and defining the expectations, anticipated challenges and solutions that will move Nigeria and Africa closer to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Dialogues were held in collaboration with PaTiTi Consulting in London and Houston.
In his speech, Dr. Ajim called on African high-networth individuals (HNIs) to recognise the importance of their support in tackling growing challenges on the African continent.
He also emphasised the need to shift focus away from negative stereotypes often associated with diaspora investments in Africa philanthropy.
“The needs back home are enormous, and our involvement in philanthropic giving serves as the needed channel to create tangible change in our communities for future generations,” he said.
Dr. Ajim also noted that although there are some institutional challenges associated with local philanthropy funding – such as lack of accountability and corruption, they should not be the reason HNIs withdraw their philanthropic efforts from Africa.
“Despite prevailing institutional challenges, we need to spotlight African philanthropy success stories. This, I believe, can inspire HNIs in the diaspora to invest in and contribute to Africa’s charitable landscape.”
He also noted that Africans and African businesses in the Diaspora are often not aware and are not taking advantage of the tax incentives in America for philanthropic giving. Through these tax incentives, Africans in the diaspora can give to Africa and get significant tax-breaks.
He also commended the Ford Foundation OWA for its match funding initiative, which hopes to incentivise diasporan and local philanthropy giving by matching their donations by up to 50%, if the project being funded is implemented in Nigeria, Ghana or Senegal through local civil society organisations (CSOs).
Dr. Ajim stated that this opportunity presents interested HNIs with a unique chance to make sustainable impact with support from a trusted philanthropic partner.
