The 5th African Philanthropy Conference was held from 29 July to 2 August 2024 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe under the theme, The Next Frontiers of African Philanthropy.”

On the final day, I moderated a panel discussion on “Fiscal Hosting – Catalyst for Expanding Philanthropy in Africa.”

This panel discussion formed part of CivSource South Africa’s ongoing work to promote and strengthen fiscal hosting in Africa. As of the end of last year, CivSource South Africa has conducted background research on fiscal hosting in Africa, organised the Inaugural African Fiscal Hosting Convention in May 2024 in Dar es Salaam, and is currently compiling the first Directory of African Fiscal Hosts, which will be available later this year. I moderated the convention in Dar es Salaam and manage the directory project.

Based on my work over the past few months, my opening remarks highlighted several observations about fiscal hosting in Africa. Although fiscal hosting is not a new practice in Africa, there is limited knowledge about African fiscal hosts and the nature and impact of their work. Additionally, fiscal hosting is not a widely recognised term, and some organisations that offer fiscal hosting services have never used it to describe their work. There is also confusion and misunderstanding about the differences and relationships between terms such as grantmaking, re-granting, and fiscal hosting.

The session’s panellists included representatives of four prominent African fiscal hosts, namely Nana Afadzinu of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Facoumba Gueye of TrustAfrica, Tshenolo Ramokgopa of Hlanganisa Community Fund for Social & Gender Justice, and Barbara Sematimba of CivSource South Africa / CivFund.

The discussion first explored the link between fiscal hosting, the conference theme and critical processes aimed at shifting power and deepening the impact of philanthropy, and then pivoted to the specific challenges, opportunities and impact stories of fiscal hosting in Africa based on the lived experiences of the panellists.

Looking ahead, the future role of fiscal hosting in Africa is both transactional and transformative. Fiscal hosts positioned to support an increasing number of entities have an opportunity to expand their reach, generate income, and enhance their financial sustainability. For funders, it strengthens local engagement, reduces logistical burdens and improves the effectiveness and sustainability of their funded projects. However, most importantly, fiscal hosting’s critical transformational value lies in enabling many entities to access funding and institutional support services that otherwise would not be available because of legal, regulatory and capacity constraints.

Fiscal hosting, therefore, has the potential to become a critical catalyst for expanding philanthropy in Africa.

Important reminder – any African organisations providing fiscal hosting services, please submit your information for inclusion in the first Directory of African Fiscal Hosts by Friday, 23 August 2024. Refer to https://tinyurl.com/38shr9f8 for more details.