Date:
Location:
"The Future of Philanthropy in Nigeria"
Speaker:
ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director, West Africa’s Office of the Ford Foundation.
Contacts:
Jacob Olupona
Olupona@fas.harvard.edu
Darren Kew
Darren.kew@umb.edu
Co-sponsored by UMass Boston's Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development (CPDD).
This event is online only. Please click the "Read More" link for full instructions on how to attend this seminar.
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Abstract:
Foreign donor funding accounts for over 70% of funding to the NGO sector in Nigeria. In the last decade or so, the combination of the election of conservative governments to power in the West (where most of the funds come from) who have a focus on domestic issues, with the economic devastation of COVID as well as increasing apathy towards aid has significantly cut donor budgets to Nigeria.
This is coming at a time that the country’s socio-economic and political outlook is discouraging. Donor funding through NGOs has helped development efforts, but this cut will create gaps that could further exacerbate the already fragile socio-economic and political situation in the country.
Despite the challenging situation in Nigeria, the country still has a relatively vibrant private sector and high net worth individuals as well as a diaspora population that if properly harnessed, can bridge the philanthropic gaps. Beyond bridging the gap created by the decline in foreign aid, a vibrant local philanthropy can also significantly improve the socio-economic and pollical landscape of Nigeria. ChiChi will discuss the importance of encouraging local philanthropy in Nigeria to support public -private partnerships.
Speaker Bio:
ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoyeis the Regional Director of the West Africa office of the Ford Foundation. She has over 20 years of experience leading a variety of country offices in Nigeria. Prior to Ford, ChiChi was the Country Director of Technoserve and the Country Director for WaterAid in Nigeria. Prior, she led Girl Effect, an initiative of the Nike Foundation which focused on girls’ empowerment and served as Country Director for Oxfam in Nigeria. ChiChi was once the Deputy Program Director of a European Union project, Support to Reforming Institutions Program, focused on reforming public sector institution service delivery through more efficient and effective management of public finances, budget reform and accountability in six Nigerian states. ChiChi has a Ph.D. in Sociology specializing in Gender and Development from University College Cork, Ireland, and BSc in Sociology/Anthropology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
