Vice President Kashim Shettima and experts have called for the proper application of philanthropy to achieve its intended and sustainable socio-economic impacts in the country and the entire African continent.
They made the call at the opening of the 3rd international conference of Dawood Research Institute, Jos in partnership with the Nasarawa State University, Keffi; University of Jos; Sule Lamido University, Zakat Foundation Institute, among others in Abuja
on Tuesday.
The conference themed; “Contemporary Practices of Philanthropy in Africa: Prospects and Challenges,” seeks to among others create
a continental ecosystem of philanthropy stakeholders.
In his remarks, Vice President Shettima said philanthropy in its African expression has never been a mere transactional act of charity but a necessity.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Tope Fasua, the Vice President insisted that the country must move away from the obsession with poverty alleviation towards the active pursuit of income equality and wealth creation.
“Our goal is not merely to keep the poor fed, but to create a ladder that allows every Nigerian to climb into a life of dignity and productivity.
“Nigeria is a nation of immense potential and our philanthropy must reflect that. We must move from pittance given to platform building.
“All the same, we thank most profoundly the millions of Nigerians who give daily to our poorest, who feed the hungry through their personal and associative platforms, who care for the needy and for the sick.
“These Nigerians have made life worth living for millions of others, and their rewards will be on Earth and in the hereafter,” he said.
Shettima noted that at all levels, government remains the primary guarantor of the people’s well-being and President Bola Tinubu is acutely aware of this sacred trust.
He said this is why the administration initiated pro-poor tax reforms aimed at shielding the most vulnerable from the headwinds of inflation, while ensuring that those with broader shoulders bear a fairer share of the national burden.
Shettima said these reforms are not just fiscal tools but instruments of social justice, adding that government cannot do it alone as the social contract requires a third party – the elites.
“Beyond the corridors of power, the successful, the educated, and the endowed must come together. The elites of Nigeria must recognise that their security is inextricably linked to the prosperity of their neighbours.
“True philanthropy is not what you do after you have made your billions. It is how you integrate the welfare of your community into the very process of wealth creation.
“I must pause to acknowledge the impressive coalition that has made this conference possible. The collaboration between the University of Jos, Sule Lamido University, and Nasarawa State University signals a bridge between research and reality.
“The presence of T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, the presence of T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, the Zakat Foundation Institute USA, the African Philosophy Forum, the Philanthropy Forum, and African Philanthropy Circuit speaks to a global and philosophical synergy.
“You are building an ecosystem where the traditional meets the modern and where African philosophy meets global best practises. Let us remember that our call to philanthropy is anchored in the deepest recesses of our faiths…the message is singular. We are our brother’s keepers. This sense of brotherliness and compassion must become the new Nigerian currency,” he added.
Also speaking, chairman of the conference, Sheik Nurudeen Lemu, said globally about $800 billion are raised in different forms of charity but there is deficit of trillions of dollars when it comes to development.
He said the consequent is that money for philanthropy is a limited and scarce resource hence the need to be wiser in how it is spent.
“We need to be more responsible, we need to have a sense of priority and while brains are required to make money, probably more brains are required in the spending because there are many forms of charity that are toxic, where you create more problems, you create more dependency.
“So instead of using money to solve a problem, you just add it to the problems that the next generation is going to deal with. A number of papers that are going to be presented today and tomorrow will be looking at some of these.
“Our hope is that this conference will allow us to share ideas not just for NGOs and activists to get better ideas of how to raise funds and make more money for your charitable purposes but more importantly on the quality of spending. We therefore don’t only want more giving, we want better spending of what is given,” Lemu stated.
In a presentation, the Regional Director For Africa, Ford Foundation, Dr Catherine Aniagolu-Okoye argued that local donors can move beyond the temporary relief to create a sustainable self-reliant lifeline for Nigerians.
She said the potential of philanthropy in Nigerian nation-building remains one of the country’s greatest untapped resource, adding that the challenge is not a lack of capital but rather the failure to channel existing massive financial flows into structural development.
Aniagolu-Okoye stated that: “for instance, Africa’s high net worth individuals and emerging middle class are expanding. Africa has approximately 135,300 high net worth individuals with over 1$ million in liquid investable wealth.
“Nigeria has about 7,200 to 9,900 high net worth individuals, boosting a total individual wealth of roughly $207 billion dollars. The continent’s total billionaire wealth is roughly 105 billion, with Nigeria having four billion billionaires contributing to this.
“…Yet, despite this background, Africa continues to raise and over-rely on external resources. This raises a critical question. Why does a continent so rich need more coherence and struggle to build formal institutions in an economic system?
On his part, the Director of Dawood Research Institute, Jos, Dr Dauda Abubakar noted that
Africans have always been philanthropic in their individual and communal life.
He said long before modern development frameworks emerged, African societies were built on strong traditions of giving, solidarity, and community responsibility.
Abubakar observed that: “yet, despite this deep heritage, philanthropy in Africa has not received the scholarly attention, institutional support, and policy recognition it deserves.
“Today, Africa faces complex challenges; poverty, youth unemployment, humanitarian crises, climate pressures, and governance gaps. Governments alone cannot address these challenges. Markets alone cannot address them. The missing bridge is philanthropy. And within Africa, one of the most powerful drivers of philanthropy is Faith-Based giving.
“Faith-based philanthropy remains one of the largest and most consistent forms of social support across the continent. Every day, mosques, churches, and faith communities feed the hungry, support orphans and widows, sponsor education, provide healthcare, and respond to emergencies often quietly and without recognition.
“But we must move: from silent impact to strategic impact. From uncoordinated generosity to institutionalised philanthropy. From local charity to continental transformation.
This is the vision that gave birth to the Dawood Research Institute.”
To an Islamic scholar and finance expert, Prof. Bashir Umar, the Islamic Endowment Trust which ensures sustainability of philanthropy must have a qualified and trusted trustee to take care of it.
“Normally, more than finance, it constitutes trust which essentially is a human element. You trust somebody and you count on his sense of fulfilling that human quality of fulfilment of trust and not religion…You count on that human element.
“But modern finance does not rely on that moral aspect. It relies on regulation. Regulation is supposed to ensure that where trust is missing, regulation will enforce what is needed that trust is supposed to provide.
“So this is the essence of registering trustee firms and now successfully we have one of these firms, which essentially is dedicated to offering trustee services to Waqf and estate planners of high net worth individuals that are willing to do estate planning along the way in conformity to the Sharia,” he added.
