Researchers, intellectuals, community leaders, development workers, all of you who carry Africa in your hearts and in your actions,
The world is going through a period of profound turbulence. Geopolitical balances are faltering, economic and climate crises are intensifying, and international cooperation models are being called into question. In this shifting and uncertain global context, the development sector in Africa finds itself at a crossroads.
Pressures on the official development assistance budgets of traditional partners are increasing. More recently, the abrupt freeze on American aid acted as an electroshock, starkly exposing the extreme vulnerability of African civil society organizations (NGOs, CSOs, associations) whose sometimes vital activities depend heavily on external funding that has become unpredictable and subject to political ups and downs. Dependence, once accepted as a component of the system, now appears to be a major existential risk.
Faced with this reality, the financial autonomy of African organizations is no longer a simple strategic option or a desirable objective; it has become an urgent imperative for the survival, resilience, and sovereignty of citizen action on the continent. It is the sine qua non condition for organizations to continue to respond to the real needs of communities, to innovate, and to carry a vision of development anchored in local realities, sheltered from external fluctuations.
True to its commitment of more than forty years alongside agents of change in Africa and around the world, IRED (Innovation and Networks for Development) has initiated an in-depth study on the challenges and concrete avenues for strengthening the financial autonomy of NGOs, CSOs and associations in Africa.
This study is not intended as an isolated academic exercise. It aims to be a platform for collective reflection and the co-construction of solutions. We are convinced that the most relevant answers will emerge from dialogue between those who think about development and those who practice it on a daily basis.
This is why we are launching a vibrant appeal for your contribution today. Your critical perspective, your field experience, your prospective analyses, your innovative ideas are essential to enrich this approach and make it truly transformative.
We warmly invite you to share your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and experiences (both successes and failures) by participating in our study. There are several options available to you:
- Complete our online questionnaire: Online questionnaire
- Send us a written contribution in the format of your choice: Reflection note, thematic analysis, case study, concrete proposal, testimonial… Do not hesitate to send us your productions to the following address: contact@developperautrement.net or via by creating your account on this registration page.
Each contribution, whatever its form, will be a precious stone added to the common edifice that we wish to build: that of a stronger, more resilient African civil society, master of its destiny and driving force of authentically African development.
We thank you in advance for your time and attention to this appeal and for your continued commitment to the continent.
Together, let’s explore paths to autonomy to unleash energies and shape the future.
Douala, April 3, 2025
The IRED study team on financial autonomy
