The two-day conference organised by Star Ghana Foundation (SGF) in partnership with Ghana Philanthropy Forum and Africa Philanthropy Network aimed to promote social change and finding synergies to build more resilient and inclusive societies for economic growth.

Under the theme; ‘Philanthropy for sustainable development: Opportunities, challenges and the future,’ it brought together stakeholders in Ghana’s philanthropic space to discuss key issues confronting the sector and how to find workable solutions as a catalyst for change.

Mr Tanko (left) speaking at the conference 

The Executive Director, STAR-Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Amidu Ibrahim Tanko, said the conference would help to discover how to sustain philanthropic efforts and move beyond crisis response to recovery and long-term development.

“It will also help us to move from seeing communities in the geographic sense and move them to the centre of our compositions and actions around philanthropy, involving them as active and conscious participants in the whole enterprise, and to move towards philanthropy that addresses the underlying causes of poverty and exclusion.”

Some participants at the conference 

The Executive Director of African Philanthropy Network, Dr Stigmata Tenga said using private resources for social good was an important investment in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). 

She said that was the only way to ensure development from the local level to the national.

“Philanthropy when practiced under the values of African culture is a key strategy for development. There are so many forms of philanthropy that need to be validated and accepted as they are, or moulded to become part of what is happening today on the continent, but that is key to achieving our long-term sustainability,” she added.

She called for the development of philanthropic collaborations and partnerships based on the values of trust, respect, inclusivity and solidarity to involve more young people in the development process.

The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Jeroen Verheul, for his part said it was important for Africans to mobilise and harmonise philanthropy in all its different forms to support the achievement of the SDGs.

“Community philanthropy, business philanthropy and big men philanthropy are all forms of philanthropy that can be used by individuals, corporate institutions and governments through different approaches to achieve the SDGs.”

Mr Verheul added that apart from harnessing philanthropy for the SDGs, Ghana must also harness active citizenship to improve society and the economy.