Sustainable Financing for Development in the Majority World
Cairo, Egypt | 28 July 2025 – As the world grapples with rising global inequality and donor fatigue, Africa is taking the lead in rewriting the rules of development financing. The 6th African Philanthropy Conference (APC) officially opened yesterday at the American University in Cairo (AUC), with a bold call to shift power, reimagine funding models, and centre African agency in development decisions.
Gathering over 200 leading scholars, policy shapers, philanthropists, and next-generation changemakers from across the continent and the diaspora, the conference opened with a high-impact two-day academic programme under the theme: “Sustainable Financing for Development in the Majority World.”
More than 80 paper presentations unpacked urgent topics, from decolonised and locally-led philanthropy to ESG reform, gender-lens investing, and diaspora capital, as Africa’s academic and philanthropic communities come together to offer bold, evidence-based alternatives to failing aid systems.
“If you don’t have your own agenda, you cannot be free. And if you don’t have the ability to finance it, that freedom is out of reach,” said Prof Ali Awni, Director of the Gerhart Center at AUC, in his opening address.
Echoing this urgency, Dr Ebrima Sall, Executive Director of TrustAfrica, said, “It’s time to rethink and reshape financing models through the lens of African values, empowered, ethical, and inclusive. As traditional aid grows increasingly unreliable and externally driven, Africa must build systems that are sustainable, equitable, and rooted in its own priorities and knowledge.”
Professor Bhekinkosi Moyo, Director of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), added: “The cracks in traditional development finance are widening. This is a defining moment for African-led models to take centre stage and for new ideas born from the continent to drive global transformation.”
Running until 31 July, the week-long conference features keynote sessions, site visits, workshops, and stakeholder dialogues. The main plenary begins 29 July and will culminate in the 2025 African Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating visionary leadership in African giving.
Now in its sixth edition, the APC has become the continent’s foremost platform for shaping the future of philanthropy, social investment, and financing for development, with a clear shift toward African ownership, African innovation, and African impact.
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For more information on 6th APC, and the full agenda and speaker list, visit: www.africanphilanthropyconference.com
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The APC is co-convened by the following partners:
- The Africa Philanthropy Forum (APF)
- The African Philanthropy Network (APN)
- The Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI)
- The East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN)
- The Southern Africa Trust
- TrustAfrica
APC local partners in Egypt include:
The 6th APC is hosted by: John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement, and Responsible Business at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at AUC
About the African Philanthropy Conference
First hosted in 2019, the African Philanthropy Conference has emerged as a flagship platform shaping the evolution of the philanthropy ecosystem in Africa. The conference brings together diverse voices to share experiences, deepen knowledge, and chart the future of African development through African-led giving and investment models.