H.E Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi.Photo Wikipedia
As the 6th African Philanthropy Conference (6APC) approaches, one moment is already drawing particular attention: the keynote address by Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi.
Set to take place in Cairo from July 27–31, the conference will explore the timely theme, “Sustainable Financing for Development in the Majority World.”
While the content of Adeleye-Fayemi’s address remains undisclosed, her decades-long record in African philanthropy and feminist advocacy ensures that her voice will carry far more than symbolism—it may well help shape a new era of African-led development thinking.
At a time when African civil society faces growing uncertainty—shrinking aid, deepening inequalities, and increasingly complex funding landscapes—Adeleye-Fayemi’s presence is not just welcome.
It is necessary.
A Leader Who Has Lived the Questions
Few figures in African philanthropy carry the moral and practical authority that Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi brings to the stage.
With a career built at the intersections of grassroots organising, high-level policy work, and pan-African institution building, she has consistently challenged the power dynamics of development financing.
As co-founder and first Executive Director of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), she led the continent’s first major grant-making fund focused on women’s rights.
Under her leadership, the Ghana-based fund disbursed millions of dollars across 40 countries, supporting local, often underfunded organisations doing the hard work of transformation.
Her commitment to feminist funding wasn’t only about moving resources; it was about shifting power.
Before AWDF, her work at Akina Mama wa Afrika and the founding of the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) helped prepare thousands of women across the continent for leadership roles.
And as former First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria, she turned her platform into policy, spearheading groundbreaking laws against gender-based violence and pushing for equal opportunity legislation.
In each of these roles, Adeleye-Fayemi has embodied what it means to fund change from the inside out.
Financing as a Mirror of Power
Though her keynote remains under wraps, the values she brings into any public engagement are well documented.
Time and again, she has insisted that how we fund development is just as important as what we fund. In a 2008 interview with IPS News, she remarked:
“How you allocate your resources tells much about where your priorities are. Women are 50 percent of the world’s population. They should be a priority.” (Common Dreams, 2008)
The quote, though over a decade old, still speaks directly to the current moment—one where donor agendas often overshadow community needs, and gender equity remains dangerously underfunded despite bold international commitments.
It is this clarity of purpose that observers hope—and expect—Adeleye-Fayemi will bring to her keynote.
A Moment of Reckoning for the Sector
The African Philanthropy Conference has grown into a key annual space for challenging old models and envisioning new paths. This year’s theme reflects a shift in urgency.
With development financing under stress, the conversation is moving beyond traditional aid. How can African institutions cultivate their sustainable sources of funding?
How can philanthropic ecosystems be reimagined to centre equity, ownership, and long-term resilience?
Adeleye-Fayemi has long been one of the few who can speak across all these domains—from local activism to international policy, from feminist theory to legislative reform.
Her keynote is expected to speak not just to technocrats and funders, but also to the community organisers and frontline leaders navigating shrinking budgets and rising expectations.
It may not provide simple answers, but it will almost certainly frame the right questions.
Symbolism and Substance
There is also a symbolic weight to her presence. In a sector still dominated by elite voices—many from outside the continent—Adeleye-Fayemi stands as a reminder that African women have always been central to the work of building resilient societies, even if rarely centred in financing decisions.
Her voice at 6APC signals a commitment not just to technical solutions, but to rebalancing the power structures that underpin the entire system.
What she says in Cairo will likely ripple beyond the conference.
For those working to decolonise philanthropy, reimagine resource mobilisation, or build gender-just economies, her keynote will be a reference point—a blueprint, perhaps, for how to link vision with action.
Waiting for a Vision
Ultimately, it’s not the mystery of her keynote that’s drawing attention.
It’s the consistency of her leadership. Adeleye-Fayemi has never hesitated to call out the hypocrisies of development finance or challenge the paternalism of donor logic.
And she has always returned to a core truth: the people closest to the issues must be closest to the solutions—and the resources.
As the conference draws nearer, many expect her to do what she has done throughout her career: push the sector to confront its blind spots and imagine something bolder, fairer, and truly African.
The details of her address may be tightly held. But one thing is clear—when she speaks in Cairo, the continent will be listening.
