Other Group

African Gender Initiative (AGI)

Parent Organization:

African Philanthropy Forum

Founder:

Tsitsi Masiyiwa

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The African Gender Initiative (AGI) is a grantmaking project of the African Philanthropy Forum founded in 2022 with the goal of raising $50 million over ten years to support the Africa-focused efforts of the Co-Impact Gender Fund, an international $1 billion initiative that plans to fund women’s-interest groups and services in Africa, Asia, and Latin America over ten years.

The African Gender Initiative was founded by Tsitsi Masiyiwa, a Zimbabwean philanthropist who founded the Africa-based Delta Foundation and the Higher Life Foundation. The Initiative funds projects and organizations in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal and, as part of the Co-Impact Gender Fund, will allocate “at least 10% of the funds raised to feminist and women’s rights groups and movements.” 1 2

Background

The African Gender Initiative was launched in late 2022 by Zimbabwean funder Tsitsi Masiyiwa, citing reports from McKinsey Global Partners that claimed, “due to the Covid-19 pandemic gender parity in Africa is now almost 100 years away.” Masiyiwa, who founded African grantmaking organizations the Delta Philanthropies and the Higher Life Foundation, announced the launch of the initiative at the African Philanthropy Forum. It was announced that the first activity of the organization would be to “raise US $50M to support the efforts of the Co-Impact Gender Fund on the African continent.” 3

The Co-Impact Gender Fund was launched in March 2022 and focuses on funding women’s organizations and programs in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In Africa, the Co-Impact Gender Fund prioritizes funding projects in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire. The fund is a major initiative of Co-Impact, a left-of-center grantmaking organization that funds social-issue advocacy for local governments in developing countries. Co-Impact was founded through a $500 million gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a fiscally sponsored project of the left-leaning nonprofit group New Venture Fund, which is managed by left-of-center philanthropic consulting firm Arabella Advisors. Co-Impact focuses on promoting gender equity measures within governments throughout the world and works with notable left-of-center and liberal grantmaking organizations to build a large portfolio of annual grants dispersed globally. 4 5

Funding

The goal of the African Gender Initiative upon its launch in 2022 was to raise $50 million in ten years in coordination with the Co-Impact Gender Fund and the African Philanthropy Forum. The initiative’s initial list of funding partners included South African entrepreneurs Beryl and Neverl Kambasha, who operate the BeeNev Kambasha Foundation; Zimbabwean entrepreneurs Mayda and Trevor Mapondera of the Catalyst Foundation and SHE Project; the South Africa-based Yellowwoods Foundation; Byron Fundira of Chiltern Support and Housing; and Zimbabwean entrepreneurs Tsi and Peter Pembere of Express Links International Money Transfer. 6

Leadership

The African Gender Initiative was launched by Tsitsi Masiyiwa. Tsitsi Masiyiwa is the wife of London-based Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, who founded mobile phone network Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa founded the Higherlife Foundation, which supports orphaned and poor children in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi, and Lesotho. Tsitsi Masiyiwa also founded Delta Philanthropies, “a vehicle for impact investing and grant making.” 7 8

Tsitsi Masiyiwa is a founding board member and the current Board Chair of the African Philanthropy Forum; a Trustee of the Legatum Institute, the END Fund, and UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Initiative; and a member of the Sesame Workshop Global Advisory Group, the International Advisory Board for Texas A&M University, the Yale Institute for Global Health Advisory Board, the Africa University Board, the Prince’s Trust International West Africa Advisory Board, and the Kenjin-Tatsujin International Advisory Council. She and her husband have been signatories to the Giving Pledge since 2014. 9

References

  1. “African Philanthropists unite to advance gender equality on the continent.” Co-Impact. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://co-impact.org/african-philanthropists-unite-to-advance-gender-equality-on-the-continent/
  2. “Tsitsi Masiyiwa Leads Africa Gender Initiative (AGI), A New Platform Launched To Unite African Philanthropists To Tackle Gender Inequality.” New African Woman. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://nawmagazine.com/?p=18656
  3. “Tsitsi Masiyiwa Leads Africa Gender Initiative (AGI), A New Platform Launched To Unite African Philanthropists To Tackle Gender Inequality.” New African Woman. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://nawmagazine.com/?p=18656
  4. “Our Collaborative Approach.” Co-Impact. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.co-impact.org/our-collaborative-approach/
  5. “Funding Partners.” Co-Impact. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.co-impact.org/partners/
  6. “Africa Gender Initiative launches, aims to raise $50m to close continent’s gender gap.” Alliance Magazine. October 25 2022. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.alliancemagazine.org/blog/50m-africa-gender-initiative-launches/
  7. “Tsitsi Masiyiwa.” The End Fund. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://end.org/team/tsitsi-masiyiwa/
  8. “Strive Masiyiwa.” Forbes. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/profile/strive-masiyiwa/?sh=6a8f3bb3547b
  9. “Tsitsi Masiyiwa.” The End Fund. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://end.org/team/tsitsi-masiyiwa/
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