Government has called for a more coordinated national framework to harness the growing philanthropic contributions of influential Ghanaians given their extensive humanitarian work in the country.
Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo speaking as the guest speaker at the 2025 Ghana Philanthropy Conference by STAR-Ghana Foundation stressed that Ghana has the capacity to mobilise substantial domestic resources if local philanthropy is properly structured.
She cited businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Seidu Agongo as a leading example of citizens driving social development.
“We can mobilise funds in Ghana, and many Ghanaians here in this room and outside have been of immense help in that regard. There are several examples but I will mention a few. We have a man called Alhaji Agongo, who recently equipped the child emergency block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and pays school fees for hundreds of brilliant students. And we have many such Ghanaians”, she said.
However, she expressed concern that such efforts remain largely fragmented, with priorities often dictated by individual organisations rather than national development needs.
This, she warned, results in sub-optimal use of resources that could otherwise accelerate inclusive growth.
According to her, it is time for Ghana to build a fit-for-purpose ecosystem that supports and scales philanthropic contributions nationwide.
“Now we need to focus on a legal framework for resource mobilisation and philanthropy. I hope this conference addresses that. We are willing to initiate the process, set up a team to work on it, and create the legal framework needed to harness these resources. We can look at several global models for guidance. I am hoping Alhaji, who is an authority on this subject in Ghana and one of the leading authorities in Africa, will support the process.”
“I personally commit to being part of a team to develop a bill we can work on and submit, and also involve the Attorney-General. Because if we are talking about reimagining sovereignty, then this is the way to harness resources from philanthropists in Ghana and beyond, and use them for inclusive and accelerated development. In doing so, we must continue to advocate for equity and inclusion”, she added.
The 2025 Ghana Philanthropy Conference was to deepen national conversations on the future of philanthropy and hold discussions on how the country can transform its fragmented culture of giving into a strategic engine for development.