The African Philanthropy Conference (APC) has carved out a distinct niche within the philanthropic landscape, strategically focused on a South-South agenda. The APC is intentional on finding ways and means to address the most pressing challenges specific to Africa. Since its founding in 2019, the APC has steadily grown in influence, convening thought leaders across sectors and gathering in locations that reflect the vast regional diversity pervasive in the continent. With each iteration, the APC has refined a vision of philanthropy that moves beyond traditional aid, positioning it as a strategic driver for self-reliance and sustainable development. By rooting its agenda in African values and prioritizing Indigenous knowledge, the APC continues to build a uniquely African approach to philanthropy, one that empowers the continent to lead on its own terms and sets a transformative precedent for the Majority World.

The current global dynamics, shaped by persistent economic disparities, escalating climate challenges, and geopolitical instability, underscore the urgency of sustainable financing for development in the Majority World. Africa remains particularly vulnerable to external financial disruptions, often dictated by shifting political agendas in donor nations. The Trump administration’s approach to global aid and multilateralism has exposed the fragility of reliance on foreign funding. The abrupt funding cuts to global health programs, reductions in USAID commitments, and the administration’s transactional approach to international relations left African nations grappling with unpredictable financing landscapes. These shifts underscore the precarity of external donor reliance. Therefore, the need for African-led financial mechanisms insulated from the volatility of Western political cycles is an argent priority.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where over 41% of the population survives on less than $1.90 a day (World Bank, 2023), the need for a financing model that aligns with local values and supports autonomous growth is urgent. Traditional philanthropy, dominated by external donors, imposes restrictive conditions that, rather than empowering, constrain African nations, reinforcing dependency cycles and undermining local agency. These models, built on externally driven agendas, fail to adapt to the unique socio-economic fabric ubiquitous in the continent. The models have been accused of often sidelining community priorities and Indigenous knowledge systems in favour of externally defined objectives.

Addressing these challenges head-on, the African Philanthropy Conference (APC) emerged as a platform advocating for a reimagined, African-centred approach to philanthropy. The APC rejects the dependency paradigm, instead building a framework that prioritizes autonomy, local decision-making, and sustainable growth. By centring Indigenous knowledge, community values, and existing economic realities. In this regard, the APC reframes philanthropy to serve the aspirations of Africans rather than external agendas. Lessons drawn from the 5th APC emphasize this shift. During the 5^th iteration, thought leaders from across the continent gathered under the theme The Next Frontiers of African Philanthropy. Prominent areas of discussion included decolonization, climate justice, and philanthropic accountability. Leading voices, such as Brian Kagoro, challenged the current philanthropic models, criticizing the paternalistic behaviours of foreign-led funding bodies that often prioritize self-centred interests which often constraining African-driven development. This critique highlighted the urgent need to dismantle these systems and replace them with models that empower African communities as equals, advancing local agencies rather than serving external agendas. The discussions also focused on the global climate crisis, where Africa, despite contributing only a fraction of global emissions, suffers some of its harshest impacts and faces deep vulnerabilities exacerbated by limited climate-resilient financing. In response, the APC committed to climate-responsive philanthropy that recognizes and mitigates these imbalances by supporting African-led climate solutions. The ethical considerations surrounding technology and safeguards against unregulated data practices that threaten African data sovereignty were also underscored. In sum, the 5^th APC reinforced the need for philanthropy to respect the agency in every aspect of the continent.

In its six-year history, the APC has shifted the discourse from short-term, donor-driven aid to an agenda grounded in long-term goals for the economic sovereignty of the continent. The 2026 version, under the theme Sustainable Financing for Development in the Majority World, APC is seeking to consolidate approaches aimed at pushing for decolonized, resilient financing models capable of recognising the unique socio-economic context prevalent in the continent. As already underscored, this theme is informed by insights from APC’s previous conferences, as well as global events like the Summit of the Future. Therefore, the 6^th APC underscores the urgency of creating a framework that supports true autonomy. Furthermore, 6^th APC also positions itself as an architect of African philanthropy, advocating for models that allow African nations to chart their development paths without compromising their integrity. Through decolonization, inclusivity, and climate resilience, the APC lays the groundwork for a financing paradigms capable of propelling the continent towards a sustainable and self-determined future.