December 2, 2025 In Newsroom By WACSI
Domestic Funding Takes Centre Stage at Ghana Philanthropy Conference 2025
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[Accra, Ghana – 29 November 2025] – Ghana’s push to strengthen domestic financing and reduce dependence on foreign aid took the spotlight at the Ghana Philanthropy Conference 2025, which closed on Friday after two days of high-level dialogue in Accra.
The conference was held from November 27 to 28 under the theme “Repositioning Domestic Resources Mobilisation as a Catalyst for Accelerating Development.” It brought together 249 participants drawn from civil society organisations, philanthropic networks, government agencies, private sector institutions and foundations. The gathering examined the country’s urgent need to anchor future development on internal resources rather than external financing.
Addressing participants on behalf of the Presidency, Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff (Admin), stressed that Ghana must take direct ownership of its financial future.
She said, “Domestic resource mobilisation has become the single most important determinant of Ghana’s fiscal sovereignty, especially at a time when traditional aid is declining, and global financing conditions are tightening.”
Her call was reinforced by Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, Executive Director of the STAR-Ghana Foundation, who urged civic actors to rethink the country’s development culture.
He said, “Beyond the donors, beyond the primary funders, we have to centre our own priorities. Mobilising community resources is imperative, so we need to be more urgent about the quest to finance our development.”
STAR Ghana Foundation convened the event in partnership with the West Africa Civil Society Institute, Philanthropy Ghana, the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy and Social Investment at Pentecost University, CorpsAfrica and the African Philanthropy Network.
Sessions focused on building a more resilient and self-sustaining development ecosystem that can withstand global economic shocks.
Local funding session at the Ghana philanthropy conference
WACSI played a prominent capacity-building role at the conference. A team from the Institute, made up of Nancy Kankam Kusi, Charles Kojo Vandyck, Farouk Alhassan and Melissa Simo, led a practical masterclass on designing and implementing a local fundraising plan.
The training provided civil society organisations with concrete approaches to strengthening financial resilience. Participants worked through case scenarios and exercises that demonstrated how strategic local fundraising can secure long-term organisational sustainability.
Commitments captured in the conference’s draft communiqué pointed strongly toward a national shift in development financing. Delegates agreed to expand domestic resource mobilisation efforts, strengthen organisational fundraising capacity and promote the creation and growth of endowment funds as long-term financing anchors.
Across the two days, speakers and participants reaffirmed that Ghana’s philanthropic potential can only be unlocked through trusted institutions, better coordination across the sector and national policies that encourage local investment in social development.
As Ghana transitions from aid dependence to greater self-reliance, WACSI’s engagement at the conference signalled its continuing commitment to equipping civil society with the tools and skills required to operate in a new era of locally driven development.
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