Philanthropy Ghana is a coalition of philanthropy support organisations (PSOs), philanthropy enablers, and funders committed to advancing strategic giving and strengthening the philanthropic ecosystem in Ghana. With a vision to cultivate a culture of innovative and effective giving, Philanthropy Ghana seeks to inspire and mobilise individuals and institutions to contribute meaningfully to national development. The organisation provides leadership in local philanthropy and social investment by strengthening giving mechanisms, fostering partnerships, and leveraging technology and data to enhance transparency, efficiency, and impact.
By growing the philanthropic sector and positioning it as a credible force for development, Philanthropy Ghana aims to build a resilient and inclusive ecosystem that addresses pressing social challenges. Through advocacy, capacity building, and resource mobilisation, the organisation works to ensure that philanthropy plays a transformative role in Ghana’s sustainable development agenda.
The objectives of the 6th edition of the Ghana Giving Summit are to reignite indigenous philanthropy practices in Ghana towards promoting sustainable development. Specifically, the summit seeks to
• Increased awareness of Ghanaian indigenous philanthropic practices and existing models.
• Promote the integration of innovative local giving and indigenous philanthropy models for social and systemic changes in the civil society sector.
• Strengthen collaboration among key actors in the Ghanaian philanthropic ecosystem for sustainable development in Ghana.
• Promote policy reforms towards an enabling environment for Indigenous philanthropy in Ghana
Globally, the funding landscape for civil society has been significantly affected by recent changes such as the U.S. government funding cut of over $60 billion , the 40% reduction of the UK foreign aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% , and the Netherlands’s plan to cut down the development aid budget from €6.1 billion to €3.8 billion starting in 2027 . These sudden international funding reductions have created a significant funding gap in the non-governmental organisations (NGO) sector, which many private donors and governments are struggling to fill . For example, many private sector and impact investors have been increasing their funding; however, some gaps, particularly for immediate humanitarian and developmental needs in communities, remain difficult to bridge . These recent developments have highlighted the crucial need to emphasise and promote local and individual giving practices to support humanitarian efforts worldwide.
In Ghana, despite the long existence of local philanthropy and individual giving, including Ghana beyond aid agenda, civil society organisations is known to depend heavily on external funding, constituting approximately 80% and 90% of their total budgets . While there is a growing push for more flexible, locally managed, and diversified funding, the emphasis on growing and revitalising indigenous individual giving and philanthropy from communities, locally high-net-worth individuals, and private and public foundations towards a local development agenda is critical for sustainable development.
