By Cynthia Alo
Ford Foundation has called on rich Nigerians to ensure the sustainability of local CSOs in the face of dwindling financial funding from international donors and foreign governments.
Ford Foundation’s West Africa Regional Director, Dr Chichi Aniagolu stated this at the maiden edition of the Quarterly Dialogue on Philanthropy in Nigeria organized by PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited (PwC).
The event’s theme focused on creating lasting impacts through sustainable philanthropy in discussion with local philanthropists.
The quarterly dialogue is expected to convene local philanthropists and high-net-worth individuals across Nigeria and in other West African states to participate in dialogues that would redefine local philanthropy and promote local funding of credible civil societies.
Aniagolu noted that as a result of recent significant declines in global funding, the very existence of CSOs, who provide support and services for local communities in education, human rights, HIV awareness, among others, is threatened.
“The election of conservative governments in the West, amidst their unique national challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with various humanitarian war conflicts around the world, have drastically reduced donor funding to Nigeria and other West African countries. Yet, the needs for the interventions and services these CSOs address continue to rise as many Nigerians depend on them for support in their everyday lives,” she said.
“Research and data show that Nigeria is amongst the ‘Big 5’ private wealth markets in Africa, with over 10,000 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with private wealth of $1 million or more. However, efforts of their philanthropic works have been uncoordinated and not channelled through recognizable CSOs, which has therefore led to short-term reliefs rather than sustainable long-term change.