African leaders are meeting for theAfrica Food Systems Forum 2025: an opportunity to build momentum as the continent seeks to sustainably nourish its growing population. But the World Food Program’s recentreporton thestate of food security and nutrition in the worldhas confirmed a tragic truth: despite progress to reduce hunger globally, the number of Africans unable to afford healthy and nutritious food is only increasing as food prices soar. According to the WFP’s current projection, of the512 millionpeople in the world who will be chronically undernourished in 2030, nearly 60 percent will be in Africa.
This rising need is all the more concerning when set against the backdrop of the drastic cuts to overseas development aid (ODA) earlier this year. The shortfall in finance is hard to overstate.Recent analysis fromThe Lancetfound that development assistance for global health is projected to fall in 2025 to less than half of what it was only four years ago. This evolving financing landscape will undoubtedly be defined by greater self-reliance for countries on the continent.
African philanthropy—with its deep local knowledge and connection to communities—is well placed to play a catalytic leadership role in this transition. Domestic and regional philanthropy has been rapidly expanding across Africa. Africa hasmore than 20 billionaires, and over65 percent of African nonprofitsnow receive funding from Africans within and outside the continent.
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But it is not only about the funds. Africa’s philanthropists and foundations have expansive networks, enabling them to coordinate fragmented efforts of partners operating in a post-ODA landscape, as well as build trust with local organizations and communities that have been broken by the faltering international aid system. These networks are made up of credible, on-the-ground partners that global capital seeks to find and invest in, positioning African philanthropy as a key lever in helping to scale context-based solutions, and ultimately, reshaping power dynamics as we strive for a more equitable, locally-driven development paradigm.
African philanthropy can also be a bridge to other forms of capital by engaging national development banks in blended financing models to support country-led priorities, or supporting corporate partnerships with responsible businesses seeking to invest in their own communities. Finally, African philanthropists and foundations can leverage their networks and influence to encourage governments to prioritize the health and well-being of their populations as they reorient their budgets in a post-ODA landscape. Earlier this year,Nigeria committed an additional $200 millionto plug the gaps left by cuts to health programs, and Botswana, Cameroon, and Kenya are allreallocatingfunding to ensure that critical HIV programs do not close.
As we move forward in this brave new world, in search of good health for all and sustainable development on the African continent, African philanthropy is a key actor in shaping impact. For goals as diverse as poverty reduction, food and nutrition sovereignty, climate resilience, and education, Africa has the tools and the knowledge, and we are ready to lead.
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