TrustAfrica and Urgent Action Fund-Africa have officially launched the Pan-African and Feminist Initiative for Philanthropies, in partnership with the Coalition for the Dialogue about Africa (CoDA). The event was held on Tuesday, 6 June 2023 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The event included remarks by Dr Ebrima Sall, Executive Director of TrustAfrica, Ms Tsitsi Midzi of UAF- Africa and Souad Aden Osman, Executive Director of the CoDA. The debates that ensued thereafter were moderated by Dre Tendai Mhizha and Briggs Bomba, Schedule Director of TrustAfrica.
All the participants emphasised the importance of providing feminist movements with funds that will allow them to carry out productive actions for women in Africa.
They also commended the African diaspora for playing leading roles in the mobilisation and collection of funds needed for the implementation of programmes that proritise the well-being of women.
One of the key moments of the launching was the inaugural conference hosted by Dr Said Adejumobi from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The latter expanded on the PAn-African and feminist philanthropies and the financing of priority projects at a continental scale.
Dr Said Adejumobi reiterated the importance of raising funds for the sectors related to the protection and development of women in Africa.
The launching of the Pan-African and Feminist Initiative for Philanthropy was marked by testimonies and fruitful exchanges between experts on fundraising issues and the role of women in the achievement of Africa’s sustainable development goals.
A press conference followed by regional and international media was also on the agenda. At the Press Conference, 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 to journalists about the big vision of raising $500,000,000 over the next five years and $1 billion over the next ten years. They also called for cooperation towards the realisation of this important aspiration.
It will be recalled that, in July 2022, many activists in the philanthropic sector met at Naivasha in Kenya, to discuss and figure out how to reinvent the Pan-African and feminist philanthropy transformation programme. From this meeting emerged a group of 50 Pan-African and feminist activists committed to improving political views, speech and practices around Pan-African and feminist philanthropies, based on solidarity, reciprocity and collective humanity.