September 23, 2026 In WACSI in the News By WACSI
Aid-Dependent development model failing Africa, says CSO Leader
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Accra, Aug. 31, GNA – Africa must rethink the way development is financed and delivered as the continent can no longer depend heavily on donor-funded projects that often collapse when external support ends, a civil society leader has said.
Mr. Charles Kojo Vandyck, Co-Founder of the African Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment (ACPSI), said decades of development interventions had created a transactional system that cast African communities as beneficiaries rather than active partners in shaping their own future.
He said the prevailing model focused excessively on communities’ problems and needs while overlooking their assets, capabilities and local knowledge.
“The development system has always been about people somewhere coming to rescue people who need help. Communities have been treated as beneficiaries and recipients instead of partners with solutions and resources of their own,” he said in an interview ahead of the Africa at the Centre Conference, scheduled for September 1 to 3 in Accra.
Mr. Vandyck said the donor-recipient approach had contributed to a lack of ownership of many development projects, leading to situations where facilities and programmes became unsustainable once funding ended.
“A lot of communities will tell you that an organisation came, built something, and when the money ran out, they left. Today, the facility is no longer being used because there was no sense of ownership,” he said.
He argued that a major weakness in the development ecosystem was the tendency of donors to fund projects without investing adequately in the institutions implementing them.
According to him, many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had become “implementation machines” with limited support for strengthening governance systems, fundraising capacity and long-term sustainability.
“You cannot expect a vehicle to reach its destination if you never maintain the engine. Development financing has focused too much on projects and too little on the health of the organisations delivering them,” he said.
Mr. Vandyck cited the recent withdrawal and reduction of funding by major international partners, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as evidence of the dangers of overreliance on a few sources of donor support.
He said many organisations struggled to survive after funding reductions because sustainability plans and diversified funding models were absent.
“Projects were funded, but organisations were often not supported to develop alternative income sources, build endowments, mobilise local resources or create social enterprises that could sustain their work beyond donor grants,” he noted.
The situation, he said, should serve as a wake-up call for African countries and civil society organisations to develop financing models rooted in domestic resource mobilisation, community philanthropy, diaspora contributions and long- term investments.
Mr. Vandyck stressed that international support remained important but should evolve into a co-investment relationship rather than a donor-beneficiary arrangement.
“We welcome international support, but it should be on terms that recognise African priorities. Development should not be dictated from capitals in Europe. Africans know what they need and should be involved in designing solutions from the beginning,” he said.
He criticised the practice of designing projects without meaningful community participation, arguing that many interventions failed because they did not adequately reflect local realities.
“People in communities often understand their challenges and sometimes even know the solutions. If they are excluded from project design, effectiveness is reduced,” he said.
As part of efforts to rebalance power relationships in development, Mr. Vandyck highlighted an innovation known as the “reverse call for proposals”.
Under the approach, community groups and local organisations identify their own priorities, develop proposals and invite donors to apply to support them, rather than waiting for donors to issue calls for projects.
He cited the experience of Yankanga Community in Zambia, where local actors prepared a development proposal, invited funding partners and selected an organisation they considered the best fit for their needs.
The process, he said, shifted decision-making power towards communities and strengthened ownership of development interventions.
On accountability, he urged citizens to pay closer attention to how public resources were allocated and spent, rather than focusing solely on annual budget presentations.
He said stronger civic engagement and support for civil society organisations were essential for ensuring transparency and effective use of public funds.
“Domestic financing must go hand-in-hand with accountability. Citizens must demand results and ensure resources are used for their intended purpose,” he added.
Mr. Vandyck said the Africa at the Centre Conference would bring together civil society organisations, policymakers, researchers, funders, youth groups and members of the African diaspora to explore new approaches to financing and delivering development across the continent.
The conference would focus on building African-led financing systems, promoting locally led development and strengthening institutions capable of driving sustainable change, he said.
More than 200 leaders from 30 countries will gather from today 1st to 3rd September 2026 for Africa at the Centre themed Leading Change, Shifting Power, bringing together civil society leaders, systems change practitioners, funders, policymakers, researchers, social innovators, youth leaders and diaspora actors to move the debate on African ownership from rhetoric to practical action.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
31 August 2026
Reporter: Albert Oppong-Ansah
Email: albert.ansah@gna.org.gh
By Albert Oppong-Ansah, GNA
Source: Ghana News Agency
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