Giving Compass' Take:

• Gbenga Oyebode, Ford Foundation Trustee, discusses how Africa's philanthropic sector is changing and evolving on the continent, through creating foundations and impact investment. 

• Oyebode says that international donors and NGOs are now focusing more on collaboration with local African organizations and agencies, rather than African governments to make sustainable changes. The next thing he wishes to see is more investment in educating local leaders.

• Learn more about the African Philanthropy Forum is doing to make an impact. 

Gbenga Oyebode, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Nigerian law firm Aluko & Oyebode and Ford Foundation Trustee, on African Philanthropy and transforming the culture of giving on the African continent. Moderated by Ford Foundation Executive Vice President for program, Hilary Pennington.

Hilary Pennington: If there is a place where injustice and justice comes together in very complex ways, it is the continent where you and I were both born -- the continent of Africa. A place that attracts significant philanthropic attention. With more than 1.2 billion people, from 3000 different ethnic groups, speaking more than 2,000 different languages, located in 54 distinct countries. Africa is not a country.

Gbenga Oyebode: No, it's not.

Hilary Pennington: It's a diverse and a complex continent. We're not just talking about one place, when we talk about philanthropy in Africa. And it is also a place of incredible growth and change, where there is a lot of innovation that is leapfrogging old systems. And arguably, the same might be true for philanthropy, as well. So I want to start out with, with you, with your own journey, how you came into philanthropy, and how you think about it. Because you are one of the most distinguished leaders in this emerging sector in the continent.

Gbenga Oyebode: Thank you, Hilary.  One other piece of statistics that I will add to that, which actually complicates it further, is that in 25 years, there will be two and half billion people on the continent. And so imagine that a country like Nigeria, that has 200 million people today, will be 400 million people.  The city of Lagos, where I live, is 20 million people today. It will be the third biggest city in the world, and there will be 40 million people -- further complicates an already dire situation.

Read the full article about philanthropy in Africa from the Ford Foundation.