TrustAfrica and Urgent Action Fund-Africa, in partnership with the Coalition for the Dialogue about Africa (CoDA), have officially launched the Pan-African and Feminist Initiative for Philanthropies. The launch took place on Tuesday, 6 June 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was attended by Dr Ebrima Sall, Executive Director of TrustAfrica, Ms Tsitsi Midzi of UAF-Africa and Souad Aden Osman, Executive Director of CoDA.
The launch highlighted the importance of providing feminist movements with finances needed to carry out productive actions for women in Africa. The organisers also commended the African diaspora for playing key roles in mobilising funds for the implementation of programmes that prioritise the well-being of African women.
Dr Said Adejumobi, from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), hosted the inaugural conference during the launch, where he emphasised the importance of raising funds to protect and develop women in Africa across various sectors. The successful launch of the initiative saw experts and stakeholders in the philanthropy sector come together to discuss fundraising issues, the role of women in Africa’s sustainable development goals, and more.
At the press conference that followed, Dr Ebrima Sall, Tsitsi Midzi, Coumba Touré, President of the Board of Directors of TrustAfrica and Atieno Odhiambo, President of the Committee of UAF-Africa spoke of their vision and commitment to raising $500,000,000 over the next five years and $1 billion over the next ten years for African women. They also called for cooperation from stakeholders towards realising this important aspiration.
In July 2022, a meeting was held in Naivasha, Kenya, where 50 Pan-African and feminist activists gathered to discuss and transform the Pan-African and feminist philanthropy program. From this meeting emerged a group of activists committed to improving political views, speech and practices that revolve around Pan-African and feminist philanthropies, based on solidarity, reciprocity and collective humanity. The launch of the initiative is a significant milestone towards achieving these aspirations.
