Philanthropism: Key To Continental Africa Transformation

Photo credit: David Kaye

The act of giving is eminent in every society due to disparities and imbalances in social status, material wealth, and standard of living which necessitate supporting others in the face of their numerous wants and needs. Philanthropy is the art of giving out of abundance benevolence from the heart not because we exceedingly have but mainly because we find within us that burning desire to give in support of others’ welfare, even with the little we have. It is therefore a covet urge that drives us to support others trapped in challenging situations which demand our altruistic assistance. This is expressed in many ways such as gifts, monetary donations, human and physical resources, training and rendering of services to persons in dire circumstances, and providing for the marginalized in various communities.

Not long ago, the world was hit with a devastative pandemic which ended up breaking the backbone of many giant economies in the Global North and crippling fast-paced developing countries in the Global South, with some still paying off huge debt for vaccines credited. Thereafter, there came undemocratic change of government through coups d’état specifically in African countries such as Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Then last but not least, the civil unrest or military campaign involving Russian and Ukraine with rising interest by some countries in the Global North like the United States. It is therefore inarguable that the turmoil between these two key actors have led to cascading cyclical effect of rising prices of crude oil and foodstuffs in the global market. Fuel prices have surged so high at the pumps. The price of wheat has increased exponentially. Citizens blaming their governments leading to civil unrest expressed through demonstrations in a country like Ghana with Sri Lanka government cracking down on protesters. That notwithstanding, government of countries across the world are trying their best in every possible way to normalize the situation and stabilize their economy. Each country for its own, and so do African countries too.

Yes, every continent has it own problems and Africa is no exception. For centuries, the continent is trapped in the abyss of underdevelopment with low infrastructure development, lack of better policies, bad governance, illiteracy, conflicts and wars, hunger, and unemployment. This mean Africans both on the continent and diaspora are responsible for engineering solutions to these challenges and one way this can be achieved is through philanthropy. We individually and collectively have a role to play to avert the challenges. Africa do not have to lay on the shoulders of other countries. Running to IMF for loans will never be the best alternative. Through the art of collective giving I believe Africa has a promising potential to take care of itself during this epoch of global crises. The question therefore is, how can we employ innovative means of giving to transform these challenges in our communities?

In the face of recent unemployment among graduate youths in Africa, there are calls for youths to venture into innovative agriculture despite their academic certificates. Agriculture, in the smog of tradition was some time considered a sector for the poor and old-age in the villages which is entirely wrong and misinformed. Thanks to globalization and education. This also demands the youth who are mostly fresh graduates from the universities with little or no capital be supported financially by stakeholders, NGOs, individuals, and government. In Ghana, there is a program called NEIP: National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program which is targeted towards identifying youth-led startups in the agricultural value chain and supporting them financially by injecting funds to boost production and services. For instance a pig farmer will be given non-payable capital or interest-free loan to boost production. The same applies to vegetable farmers, farm produce marketers and suppliers. This art of giving done by government to thousands of youths in support of development in Ghana can be adopted by other African countries as well.

Sometimes, donations toward development in a country should not be dependent on government alone but also, individuals who are well-off financially and are in position to singlehandedly finance development. In this scenario, we have rich-and-wealthy individuals championing development through charity. Example is the case of Sadio Mane: a Senegalese footballer who is marvelously doing well for his village by building schools and hospitals for his community. Also, a musician named Akon living in US is building an entire city in his home country Senegal with his personal resources. So, inasmuch as it is the role of government to develop a country, individuals who are wealthy enough can also support development in deprived communities. These aforementioned individuals identified challenges faced by their communities such as lack of better healthcare, illiteracy and poor academic structures and eventually decide to indulge in philanthropic practices to change the narrative towards betterment of these communities.

No man is an island (Donne, 1923). We are all connected and interdependent in every possible way. Man’s existence in every community is interrelated. Communities grow faster when development is seen as requiring collective effort and not by a single person or an entity. Individuals can come together to mobilize resources toward development in Africa. A central coffer can be created for all Africans both on the continent or diaspora to donate money towards specific goal such as awarding scholarship to deserving students, paying medical bills for patients who cannot afford cost of medical conditions such as sclerosis, heart and brain surgery. Members in communities can contribute money to purchase solar-powered energy grid to power schools, hospitals, and community centers. Community members can also dig wells or construct boreholes to provide water for both homes and irrigation purposes.

We cannot continually wait on government. We can do some things on our own if we really want to change the current poor outlook of Africa by collectively playing a role to avert challenges confronting our communities. A typical example of this form of philanthropism in Ghana is the construction of a National Cathedral where government have seen the need to mobilize financial resource worth ¢100 or more willingly from citizens across the country to support the project. The government in collaboration with telecommunication networks has established mobile money payment scheme for all citizens willing to donate with just a click on their phone. It is believed the national cathedral when completed will serve the spiritual wellbeing of citizens since Ghana is a religious nation.

Altruistic practices can also be expressed through giving directly to support needy persons. We must identify others in need and support them without expecting help to come from government. Sometimes we can change the financial situation of a family by supporting a member who has the potential to excel and bringing back fortune to the family and community at large. This can be practiced by family heads financing education of poor and needy in the family, traditional authorities like chiefs and queen-mothers identifying subjects facing specific challenges and directly helping them out. Members of Parliament in various constituencies can directly support deprived or deserving constituents. For instance in Ghana, there is a financial assistance called ‘MP Common Fund’ available to support needy individuals through their MPs. We can individually support others in our communities through any form of philanthropy being it material, monetary, and or services. Example, an expert in any particular farming practice can provide information and education to another in a farming village. By so doing, both persons can have better yield.

As previously opined, Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora are equally responsible for every challenge confronting us, therefore, everyone must contribute towards solicitation of needed solutions. This include everyone coming together to support development initiatives in cash or kind. This form of giving comes in play when we come together to support a greater course such as donating to support victims involved in disasters like fire outbreak and flood. In this case, out of solidarity resources are pulled across wider spectrum of the population to charitably support a course. NGOs, youth activism organizations, and career development agencies can embark on initiatives to train youths on specific topics like entrepreneurship. They can also donate capital to fund start-ups in communities and sensitize women on girl-child education among others.

In times of disaster like flood in Ghana, we have many people from the public space donating cash and items to the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to be shared to victims as relief packages. The motive is to support everybody involved in any tragic incident in the country. This has proven to be very helpful in extending our love and care to others in need. I believe this idea should be replicated in other African countries since we cannot continue to rely on our governments for everything. The government alone cannot have solutions to all our problems.

Conclusion

In the midst of numerous challenges confronted by countries in Africa, it is imperative that we develop solutions ourselves by exploiting the guidance of the altruistic machinations explained above. But more so, there is the need for innovative philanthropic practices which are more effective in transforming challenges in our communities. NGOs and individuals can donate funds to finance education of brilliant but needy students. In fact Africans benefit a lot from scholarships from the West but little is heard of Africans awarding same scholarships to fellow Africans. It is about time we exhibit our philanthropic virtue by donating to support students since education is the ultimate key to development.

It does not always have to come from the west because government from western countries are also busily fixing their problems. With the advent of electronic fundraising platforms like GoFundMe.com and Crowdfunder.com, a universal welfare coffer can be established for all Africans including those in the diaspora to donate funds towards development in deprived communities. Also, with the aid of internet and video conferencing apps, experts in specific field can educate and coach others irrespective of geographical differences. The desire to give is actually an inherent behavior that must be emulated and exemplified by all. Africa need our philanthropy in any form. We must support in whatever way we can towards development of the continent.

References

Donne, J. (1923). “Devotions upon emergent occasions”. Cambridge: The University press.

Retrieved from: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7135850M/Devotions_upon_emergent_occasions.

Author: RICHARD KWAKU TETTEH ASUMAH

[email protected]