Dependence to Independence
The Role of Ubuntu, Collective Action, and Entrepreneurship in Transforming Africa.
At the 2025 African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) Conference in Nairobi, held under the theme “Driving Sustainable Investments and Innovations for Resilient Growth,” one message stood out clearly: Africa’s journey from dependence to true independence will be built through Ubuntu (“I am because we are”), collective action, and entrepreneurship. Conversations with philanthropists, investors, and social entrepreneurs reinforced the shift from traditional grant-making to catalytic capital that turns bold ideas into investable, scalable solutions. From climate and health to agribusiness and education, speakers challenged leaders to move from extraction to creation, and from charity to partnership, aligning purpose with profit, and intent with execution, so Africans are not just beneficiaries of development, but architects of their destiny.