Powerful Calls for African-Led Financing and Collaboration as the 6th African Philanthropy Conference Concludes in Cairo
August 7, 2025

From feminist funding models to tax justice, from climate-responsive giving to participatory grant making, the 6th African Philanthropy Conference (APC) closed with an unmistakable message: Africa is not only ready to lead its own development agenda, it already is.

Held for the first time in North Africa, at the American University in Cairo (AUC), the 2025 edition of the APC drew over 300 participants from across the continent and diaspora. The five-day event combined two days of academic sessions with three days of high-level convening for funders, researchers, civil society actors, policymakers, movement leaders, and social investors. It unfolded under the theme: “Sustainable Financing for Development in the Majority World.”

The conference came at a moment of increasing urgency. Traditional aid is stalling. Donor priorities are shifting. And yet, the needs are growing, from local infrastructure and gender justice to climate resilience and education. This year’s APC provided a platform not just for critique, but for African-led, African-financed alternatives that challenge dependency and elevate collective agency.

“The moment we’re in reflects local, regional, and global shifts,” said Professor Bhekinkosi Moyo, Director of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI). “This year’s APC became a critical platform for co-creating practical, African-led solutions, not just in theory, but in action.”

A space for bold ideas and urgent relevance

The 2025 programme was packed with over 80 academic paper presentations, multiple plenaries and parallel sessions, and several keynote addresses that explored the role of philanthropy in a rapidly changing world. Notable keynotes included:

  • H.E. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Former Vice President of Nigeria
  • Zeina Abdel Khalik, Executive Director, Doria Feminist Fund
  • Winnie Byanyima, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNAIDS
  • Dr. Laila Iskander, Former Minister of Environment, Egypt
  • Ndidi Nwuneli, CEO, The ONE Campaign

They joined dozens of other distinguished speakers in tackling the pressing questions shaping the future of African development, while the conference itself reflected today’s complex realities:

  • How do we decolonise development finance without dismantling systems that still deliver?
  • What does ethical, feminist, and climate-aligned giving look like?
  • How can youth, diaspora communities, and local actors become not just recipients, but resource holders?

Marked by engaging dialogue on critical topics that resonated with the realities of Africa’s philanthropic ecosystem, key talks included:

  • Decolonised Funding Structures
  • Technology-Driven Financial Inclusion and Digital Economies
  • Gender-responsive financing for inclusive development
  • New frameworks for financing development to build Africa’s sovereignty
  • Climate-responsive philanthropy for African resilience
  • Exploring the Intersections of Philanthropy, Gender Justice and Technology
  • Ancestral Wealth Wisdom: Indigenous Money Healing Sustainable African Philanthropy Restoration
  • Strengthening youth led impact investing and ethical financing
  • Participatory grant making and movement-led philanthropy
  • Diaspora finance and remittance-based solutions

Throughout, one thread remained consistent: a commitment to reframing power, who holds it, who decides, and who defines value.

Celebrating leadership, legacy, and movement-building

A major highlight was the Lifetime Achievement Award Gala Dinner, held under the stars at AUC. The 2025 award was presented to H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, a visionary feminist and philanthropist whose work has helped shape the very architecture of African philanthropy. From co-founding the African Women’s Development Fund, which has supported over $55 million in women-led initiatives, to leading feminist policy change in Nigeria and mentoring generations of African leaders, her legacy has been profound.

A critical moment for African philanthropy

With geopolitical tensions rising, climate shocks intensifying, and funding flows becoming increasingly unpredictable, the 6th APC reminded delegates that African philanthropy is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is how communities will survive and thrive in uncertain times.

The conference also reinforced the value of North-South and intra-continental solidarity, knowledge-sharing across languages and regions, and the deep well of African intellectual, financial, and cultural capital that continues to drive innovation from the ground up.

Hosted by the John D. Gerhart Centre at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business (AUC) and co-convened by CAPSI, TrustAfrica, the African Philanthropy Forum, Southern Africa Trust, APN, and the East Africa Philanthropy Network, the event was supported by local partners including the Sawiris Foundation, Arab Foundations Forum, and Waqfeyat Misr Foundation.

As delegates return to their countries, organisations, and movements, one thing is clear: the work ahead is urgent, but it is also already in motion.

For recordings, resources, and more from the 6th APC, visit:
🔗 www.africanphilanthropyconference.com

Media contact:
Jane Lewis | Communications Lead
E: jane.balnaves@wits.ac.za
M: +27 76 538 3243

Website: www.africanphilanthropyconference.com
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About the APC
Running annually, the APC features a full week of dialogue, plenaries, workshops, site visits, stakeholder engagement, and a gala dinner. The APC is co-convened by the following partners:

6th APC local partners include: 

The 6th APC was hosted by: John D. Gerhart Centre for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement, and Responsible Business at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at AUC