Ford Spends $30-Million on New African Charity
June 6, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Ford Foundation has awarded a $30-million grant to create TrustAfrica, an African-led nonprofit group designed to help Africans try to solve the continent’s health, poverty, and social problems themselves, reports The New York Times.
The project, which has been in development since 2001, will be based in Dakar, Senegal, and managed solely by Africans. Representatives for Ford said the new group will run conferences, develop regional programs, and meet with African governments to advance policy issues.
“Instead of following the lead of external donors—or pushing an agenda of our own making—we help Africans work together to set their own priorities and chart their own course,” said Akwasi Aidoo, a Ghanaian who was appointed executive director of TrustAfrica. Mr. Aidoo previously directed the foundation’s offices in Senegal and Nigeria.
