On October 24, 2022, the African Philanthropy Forum launched the Africa Gender Initiative (AGI), a platform for African philanthropists to come together, mobilise funding and work collaboratively to close the gender gap.
Initially, funding raised by the Africa Gender Initiative will support the work of the Co-Impact Gender Fund on the continent. The Co-Impact Gender Fund was launched in March to support individuals and organizations driving change in Africa, Asia and Latin America by building women’s leadership in key areas such as law and economics and addressing gender-based inequalities in healthcare, education and economic opportunity.
Given the current state of gender parity in Africa, initiatives such as the AGI are desperately needed. Even before the pandemic, McKinsey Global Institute determined that progress towards gender equality was stalling in Africa. A recent World Economic Forum report now calculates that due to the Covid-19 pandemic gender parity on the continent is still at least 98 years away.
While most global philanthropic funding is going to Africa, only a fraction of this money reaches African non-governmental organizations, programmes or initiatives, with even less going to women-led organizations. Instead, over 80% of gender-focused funding goes to multinational non-governmental organizations and governments.
This severe lack of funding in conjunction with the exacerbation of gender injustice due to the Covid-19 pandemic provides the backdrop and impetus for the Africa Gender Initiative.
To advance a collaborative and long-term approach to giving the Africa Gender Initiative is set up as a community borne out of the cooperation between the Africa Philanthropy Forum, Delta Philanthropies and Co-Impact. Future funding partners will become part of a network of philanthropists, local advocates, and experts to address deep-seated inequalities more efficiently. Read more