First Chair in African Philanthropy established in South Africa
08 Oct 2016
With their various forms and practices, gifting and philanthropy have always been practised on the African continent. But study and information on the topic remains limited. The African field of philanthropy therefore lags behind its global counterparts in terms of knowledge, data, infrastructure, human resources and research. With this in mind, the Wits Business School at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, along with the Southern Africa Trust, have collaborated to establish an Academic Chair in African Philanthropy as a pioneering move to take forward the study of gifting in Africa.
This initiative aims to apply a pan-African perspective on the practice and epistemology of gifting, acquiring knowledge and developing theories, models and tools appropriate to the continent’s experience, contemporary context and needs. The Chair will focus on the four themes of teaching, research, outreach and measurement. Alan Fowler, Emeritus professor at the Institute of Social Studies and a former president of the International Society for Third Sector Research, has been appointed visiting professor for the Chair in African Philanthropy and is responsible for establishing its profile and programme.
Find out more about the new Chair in African Philanthropy and its aims at a cocktail to be hosted by the Chair and the Southern Africa Trust on the second evening of the upcoming Global Summit on Community Philanthropy, to be held in Johannesburg 1 – 2 December 2016.