Accra is hosting the United Way Worldwide (UWW) Africa Regional Convening from Wednesday, April 8 to Thursday, April 10, 2026, bringing together philanthropic leaders, corporate donors, and development stakeholders from across the continent for a three-day summit focused on strengthening Africa’s social investment ecosystem.
The gathering is held under the theme “Stronger Together: Building a Resilient United Way Africa” and convenes Local United Ways (LUWs), UWW global leadership, board members, strategic partners, funders and philanthropy networks committed to advancing Africa’s social and economic transformation.
Sonya Anderson, Executive Vice President of UWW’s International Network, said the timing of the Accra meeting was deliberate, given the shifting landscape facing development organisations across Africa.
“At a time of both challenge and opportunity, bringing leaders together to share ideas, align strategies and build partnerships is critical to accelerating locally-led solutions that drive lasting impact in communities,” she said.
Key focus areas for the convening include strengthening knowledge exchange across the African LUW network, exploring diversified resource mobilisation strategies, engaging current and prospective funders in pooled financing opportunities, and positioning African communities and local organisations as central drivers of philanthropic investment. Participants will also work toward co-creating a forward-looking Africa Philanthropy and Impact Agenda aligned with global trends.
The summit comes as African LUWs navigate a rapidly evolving philanthropic environment marked by shifting donor priorities, constrained public funding and rising demand for measurable impact and accountability. At the same time, new financing opportunities are emerging from high-net-worth individuals, corporate social investments, regional foundations, diaspora giving and innovative funding models.
Global and regional UWW leadership attending include Rosie Allen-Herring, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide, Anderson, Patrick Lohmayer, Vice President for Programs and Partnerships in the International Network, and Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, UWW’s Vice President for Africa.
Chief executives from leading corporate donors are also present, including representatives from Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, Vivo Energy Ghana, Prudential Life Insurance Ghana and Cummins Ghana, alongside board members from United Way chapters in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
United Way Ghana, established in 2003, focuses on education, health and income generation as the key pillars of its community impact programmes in Ghana.
