When Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced he was giving away ‘virtually all’ his wealth over the next 20 years, some philanthropy experts were more surprised about the short timeline than the massive amount.

The US billionaire will give away $200 billion – on top of an already donated $100 billion – for ‘the cause of saving and improving lives around the world’ before permanently shuttering the Gates Foundation on 31 December 2045. To put it into perspective, $200 billion is more than the GDP of most African nations, Nigeria, Morocco and Kenya among them, according to Statista.

The Economist has noted a trend towards speedy philanthropy, where tycoons such as Gates commit to giving away their wealth rapidly. Their reasons range from being genuinely uncomfortable with their wealth, to giving it away while they’re still alive in order to control how the money is spent.

While you won’t find the term ‘speedy philanthropy’ in the dictionary, you will find advocates of the concept. A strategic giving expert and author by the name of Kris Putnam-Walkerly, for example, has written about ‘the need for speed in philanthropic strategy’ and ‘how to pick up the pace and have greater impact in philanthropy’. Her argument is that philanthropy should be agile and quick, especially in times of crisis or when addressing urgent social needs.

‘Some may critique the model of spending down and shutting down large foundations after a limited life span and would have preferred for the Gates Foundation to exist forever, but I think there’s power in making big bet investments over a shorter time period to effect change,’ says Nicolette Naylor, CEO of Ubuntu Global Philanthropy and Gender Justice Consulting. She works with large US and European foundations as well as funds operating in Africa, providing strategic advice and support on how to engage with giving on the continent and how to do so responsibly.

On a similar note, Bhekinkosi Moyo, director of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment and an adjunct professor at Wits Business School, also commends Gates’ intention to wind down his foundation by the end of 2045. ‘Generally, big philanthropists would come in, start supporting institutions, and then just leave or change strategy unexpectedly,’ he says. ‘But the fact that Gates wants to double down on his investments in the next 20 years gives the beneficiaries who are dependent on him, as well as the entire sector, time to reorganise themselves and also to discuss exit strategies with the donor, which doesn’t usually happen. There’s now time to renegotiate relationships, possibly even ask for flexible, long-term grants that help them to build their sustainability. And in 20 years’ time, there’ll be no excuse to say, “We didn’t have enough warning”.

‘We know that the problems of this world may never be eliminated fully. But the idea is for philanthropy to work itself out of business, and not continually perpetuate dependency,’ says Moyo.

Naylor agrees. ‘Foundations should be transferring skills, assets and large sums of money to those who are most directly impacted and affected,’ she says.

‘The Gates Foundation will be making much larger investments in Africa as a result of the spend down. For Gates, the focus will now be on “How can we make big changes over the next 20 years?” as opposed to “How can we keep ourselves in business for as long as possible?”.’ This changes the focus from the foundation’s survival to the survival and longevity of the work on the ground, which makes these investments important, according to Naylor.

Referring to the pan-African revolutionary Thomas Sankara, who famously warned African leaders, ‘He who feeds you owns you’, she says that ‘we need to take note of what dependence has done on the continent and the devastation that happened when USAID pulled out. It’s a lesson for us about standing on our own and not being dependent on others for our health and well-being’.

The closure of USAID-funded health projects in South Africa – with job losses of more than 8 000 US-funded nurses, HIV counsellors and researchers – has left big holes in health funding that need to be filled. Echoing Naylor, some analysts argue this could be a turning point for SA, a chance to reduce dependency on foreign aid and build more resilient, locally driven systems.

That’s where sustainable philanthropy comes in. ‘There’s philanthropy that doesn’t really change the systems or the structures of inequality, for example,’ says Moyo. ‘But then there’s philanthropy that leads to sustainability, transformation and longevity – to real change in people’s lives and livelihoods. That’s the philanthropy we want.’

The large-scale giving of Gates and other US tycoons such as Rockefeller, Carnegie and Buffet is often seen as a benchmark for philanthropic generosity. In Africa, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe was the first to sign Gates’ Giving Pledge, which is a commitment to donate more than half of one’s wealth to good causes.

The Motsepe Foundation was co-founded by Patrice and his wife, Precious Moloi-Motsepe –who is the CEO and public face for global initiatives, such as advocating for responsible tech and AI ethics at the 2025 World Economic Forum. The foundation has funded initiatives in education, sports and culture (more than R260 million in bursaries and R150 million for school competitions), supported agricultural ventures and invested in community infrastructure across the country.

Other South African philanthropists include the Oppenheimer and Ackerman families, the late Allan Gray, Mark Shuttleworth, Jannie Mouton and Francois van Niekerk, to name a few. According to Africa Wealth Report 2025, SA alone accounts for 41 100 millionaires or 34% of the continent’s millionaires.

 

Moyo has written extensively about African philanthropy, which he says is still understudied despite being widely practised. That’s one reason why Naylor would like to shift the narrative that philanthropists are born and bred in the US or Europe, and instead celebrate the local ordinary people who give. ‘I think the work of Patrice Motsepe and his foundation is powerful and needed, but we also need to lift up other stories from the continent,’ she says.

‘Philanthropists need to embrace African forms of giving and stop looking to “learn” from the West or the Global North. Forms of giving and philanthropy have existed since time immemorial in Africa in the spirit of “harambee”, “ubuntu” or religious and faith-based giving.’

Communities helping each other – often called horizontal forms of giving – are powerful and rooted in the notions of connection (‘I am because you are’). ‘The notion that my grandmother isn’t a philanthropist but Bill Gates is, needs to be disrupted,’ says Naylor. ‘The ordinary giving that each of us embarks on at home needs to be studied, celebrated and respected as African philanthropy. Diaspora giving on the continent and remittances flowing into the continent need to be studied the same way we study the Gates Foundations of the world.’

In SA, it would also be worthwhile to study the evolving relationship between philanthropy and corporate social investment (CSI). Philanthropic organisations and companies have mainly operated separately with differing goals and methodologies, writes sustainability consultancy Trialogue in the Independent Philanthropy Association of South Africa’s 2024 Review of South African Philanthropy. Yet, both sectors have felt a societal shift towards deeper, more systemic thinking, inspiring them to adapt their approaches from simple charitable donations to more strategic, impactful interventions. ‘Philanthropic organisations have had a longer history to explore different approaches to giving,’ says Trialogue MD Nick Rockey. ‘As they take steps towards more impact-driven models, CSI is following their lead, devising more strategic and integrated approaches to delivering social change.’

Philanthropic organisations have the advantage of not being bound by the rules or management whims that can constrain corporate giving, according to Rockey. Where companies may be hesitant to work directly with their competitors, he suggests that engagement with philanthropic organisations offers the chance for fruitful partnerships. ‘Corporate funding and business strategies could be combined with a foundation’s grassroots knowledge and programme design expertise to deliver innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions to complex social problems,’ says Rockey.

In the current climate, where aid from the Global North is declining while the needs of society are still urgent, Moyo urges a reimagining of how development ought to happen in the African context. Grants and donations can be made once-off or withdrawn at any given time, so while they will still be important, he calls for a big shift towards transformative partnerships. These are long-term partnerships that focus on addressing systemic and structural challenges of communities, the country or the continent as a whole. In addition, they need to recognise the agency of local stakeholders.

Or, as the Economist has phrased it: recognising that non-profit organisations know better than wealthy donors how money is best utilised, and that organisations based in a community and led by locals know best.

What Africa needs is sustainable philanthropy that capacitates the local actors, so that in the near future they are the drivers of the change that they want and need.

By Silke Colquhoun
Image: istock