The value of social capital in resourcing community development in Africa

There is no doubt that the over-reliance on the Global North for funding social change is the primary reason that restoring the balance between the Global North and South seems unfeasible, if not impossible. Indeed, many argue that so long as the Global South cannot generate its own resources to fund its development agenda, the fight for equality will always remain a mirage. In response to this daunting challenge, civil society organizations in the Global South are seeking to diversify their funding and strengthen their local support base. A growing number of international organizations and funders are supporting global south organizations to do this. Domestic resource mobilization and community giving therefore continues to gain prominence.

Many actors in the African civic space have taken note of this and have begun experimenting, testing, innovating and investing in alternative ways of working with communities and resourcing their activities. This paper highlights a robust and seasoned argument for leveraging social capital to nurture and cultivate domestic resource mobilization and community giving as a mechanism for addressing the sustainability, credibility and legitimacy crises faced by African civil society organizations. It also addresses how African civil society organizations can leverage social capital to support the development of their communities.

Authors: Gervin Chanase and Charles Kojo Vandyck

Published: May 2022

Published by: West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)

Download: ‘The value of social capital in resourcing community development in Africa‘