FOSDAF is a non-profit institution focused on mobilizing the resources and skills of African civil society in order to promote productivity, innovation, self-financing and the occupation of the channels of the economic flow by African national actors.
Our initiative stems from a diagnosis of the constraints that hamper the economic development of the continent and its diaspora. Among these constraints is the dependance mentality and the disproportionate share of foreign aid in financing its development compared to the mobilization of internal resources. This results in a permanent weakening of its capacity for self-development, and hence a continuous increase in poverty, while the top-down model of development has proved to be dead-end and totally ineffective.
To break this vicious circle of continued assistance and growing poverty, African communities must work to support themselves by finding internal solutions to their constraints, in terms of recognizing the value of their resources, their culture and talents and put them in synergy to promote their sustainable development.
Thus, bloodless Africa is sailing empty. FOSDAF aims precisely to reverse this descent to the abyss by triggering the construction of internal dynamics and its full self-financing.
What is our originality? We approach development as an internal dynamics, an articulation of its original factors and actors in order to instill a sustainable impetus to the economic machine. This internal dynamic takes place through the empowerment of internal actors to occupy themselves the channels of the economic flow and to make it prosper through a permanent increase in creativity and innovation. The common juxtaposition of isolated sectoral projects, regardless of their value or relevance, has an ephemeral impact on target groups, as it takes place in an environment that is not structurally prepared for change. Time ends up erasing this artificial dressing. Likewise, reckless resorting to foreign investment or foreign aid only gradually undermines the bases of the necessary internal dynamics. Only structuring projects are eligible for the internal dynamic process, that is to say the ones that fall into one or more compartments of the intersectoral and interindustrial integration plan of the chosen economy.
Board of Trustees
Akouete EKLU-NATEY, Development Economist, acting President of FOSDAF
Victor Komla ALIPUI, Former Minister of Finance of Togo, Vice-President for African civil society
Prof Vincent Agboto, Statistician at the Meharry Medical College,
Paul Ifayomi Grant, Founder and Chair of ABDF Ltd, Representing Europe
Prof Kelechi Kalu, Director, Center for African Studies, OSU, Facilitator
Mwalimu Kabaila, Founder and Chair National African American Congress Forum, Representing the Americas
Dr. ChenziRa D. Kahina, Managing Director, Nesut NbtMwtAst, delegate for the Caribbean and Pacific region
Ohio Chapter
Apollinaire Ngankeu, President. ngankeu@hotmail.com
Hamel SY, Secretary General thierno.sy@gmail.com
Mohamed G. Salim, Treasurer jadkaHYPERLINK “mailto:jadkarim1@yahoo.com”rim1@yahoo.com
Mohamed Karamoko, Advisor karamoko.1@osu.edu
Labite Agbodjan, Advisor, katiskuo@gmail.com
FOSDAF is now preparing a General Assembly. We envision promoting a new team through the subscription of brand-new members in every African country and diaspora residence State and the election of a new board. As suggested by some members of the old team and for efficiency purpose, the new management is intended on a federative pattern, which implies local management of locally collected resources, while remaining globally in line with the Foundation’s vision.
Our mission is twofold:
Promoting self-sustaining development of the African continent through the establishment of an internal progress dynamics. This internal dynamics is based on the synergistic and integrated enhancement of human and material resources of the continent and of its nations from the grass-roots level upward.
The objective of the Foundation for the Sustainable Development of Africa (FOSDAF) is to organize the framework and the placement of internal actors in the channels of the economic flow of African countries and to find internal sources for their sustainable financing.To do this, FOSDAF strategy is based on five levels of action:
Our strategy is threefold:
This strategy is meant to combine the human and material resources of the community in an interconnected network of activities, called a “synergistic basket” in order to create an advanced dynamics of endogenous development.
FOSDAF’s program is based on five areas of complementary action:
1. The Holistic Education.
The first pillar of the FOSDAF program aims to raise the level of general awareness of African populations and to establish an individual and collective talents and potentials promoting education, instead of the current elitist education which leads to a permanent waste of resources and opportunities.
2. The restoration and empowerment of grassroots communities.
Grassroots communities are, along with local businesses, the two main actors in the economic flow. Community life, which combines traditional values, history and culture with economic life, which formerly made the prosperity of pre-colonial African society. By restoring it, we provide a sustainable basis for primary production which is sorely lacking in the hybrid-capitalist society bequeathed to Africa and makes it unfit for development. Our approach to the autonomous development of grassroots communities makes it possible to anchor the phenomenon of self-management in their mentalities and habits, while anchoring them in their culture.
3. The promotion of an integrated economic operators’ body.
The second pillar of economic flow is poor in African economies, due to the insane race of its rulers and even its elite towards foreign investment and the consequent sell-off of its natural resources. This program aims to restore a base of prosperous production and service providing African entrepreneurs, on the basis of an integrated vision of African development.
4. The innovation promotion and applied research sub-program.
This sub-program supports the other three, to encourage and promote creative and innovative talents in all sectors of the integration program of internal dynamics actors. This action is currently very neglected in Africa, while it is the key to foster technological progress and the autonomous development of the continent. FOSDAF wants to be a catalyst and a multiplier of all initiatives in the direction of creativity and innovation.
5. Advisory support to governments on inner development.
This action is made necessary by our strong involvement in building the capacities of the two civilian actors in the flow, the government being the governing body. A permanent dialogue with governments as a whole, and each ministerial department concerned with development is provided for this purpose. The 5 sub-programs are summarized in two key projects already available:
1. The Holistic Education and Technology Academy,
2. The Integrated Agribusiness Project.
These two projects will be popularized in all the states of residence of all FOSDAF members until the outcome of an environment embodied in self-reliance and self-development. The 5 subroutines will be just further developments.
The first sources of the program funding are the subscriptions of the founding members, the contributions of ordinary members and donations of sponsors to the Foundation.
According to article 4 of the FOSDAF by-laws, “Founding members are required to register with an initial sum of $ 1,000 US dollars added to the capital of the Foundation, plus a monthly membership fee of $ 20 US dollars. Ordinary members only contribute $ 20 US dollars per month. New memberships, whether for founding members or ordinary members, are open to members throughout the life of the foundation; they are seen as a means of supporting the financial growth required for the continent’s take off “.Given the civil and popular character of the Foundation, every African and the general public is required to make a minimum monthly contribution of $ 1.00 US dollar (“One dollar for a greater Africa”). FOSDAF aims to improve the quality of life of every African, wherever they reside. For this every African is entitled to benefit from ad hoc programs organized for this purpose.
The main challenge, which FOSDAF must absolutely meet, is to ensure both:
• a massive subscription to its capital, commensurate with the ambitions of its program and
• a high-level and motivated multidisciplinary team to implement its program.
We are counting on the widespread support of civil society and the African diaspora to meet this demand. For this foundation belongs to them; it is the expression of their aspirations, and the platform for their shared achievement. They are now given the opportunity to actively contribute to this co-management.
FOSDAF will create 4 special funds to support the execution of the program:
• The Holistic Education Fund
• The Fund for Integrated Self-Sufficiency of Grassroots Communities
• The Integrated Entrepreneurship Fund
• The Fund for Applied Research and Innovation
According to its statutes and in accordance with its pan-African vocation, the Foundation must open an office in each African state or residence of the African diaspora in the guise of decentralization and local management of its activities. At the end of the day, the candidacies are permanently open to serve the 54 States of Africa and all the States of residence of its diaspora. The main criterion for selection and maintenance in the position of the candidate retained is the total disinterest and attachment without failure to the vision of auto-development of Africa. The funds of each agency are intended primarily for the implementation of its own program. A percentage, to be defined by the Board of Directors, will be reserved for actions of a regional nature.
Qualified officers will be named to manage the various programs and funds, at both regional and national levels.
Only two FOSDAF offices are currently open: the headquarters, in Columbus, Ohio, United States, and Lomé, Togo, the current residence of its President. This last year will see to it that the FOSDAF program will be implemented in each African state and residence, in the best of times. The year 2022 is the day of the relaunch of our Foundation.
Whatever your area of interest, you are invited to subscribe to the capital of FOSDAF, as a founding member. You thus participate both in the process of self-financing of African development which is the royal road to promote the autonomous development of the continent and find the ideal framework to achieve your ambitions. The amount of the subscription is $ 1,000, plus the monthly contribution of $ 20, to which any member is subject. When subscribers achieve a substantial amount of financial self-sufficiency, the way is opened for the continent to flourish; at the same time, it is a win-win deal: it opens up for you an expert position in the intersectoral network created by the FOUNDATION which will employ you in its social enterprises and / or will support the project of your area of competence inserted in the network created by the Foundation to secure the internal dynamics of African development. FOSDAF aims in doing so, to showcase your talents and make them fruitful in the intersectoral integration network of the economy created to promote the structuring of African development and put everyone to work to break the vicious circle of job search into becoming one’s own employer when subscribing to the capital of the Foundation. Subscribing to the capital of FOSDAF offers you the opportunity to become co-manager of this dynamics. Subscribe yourself and invite your friends to do likewise, thereby reinforcing the opportunity for Africa to grow and prosper.
Poverty is a state of mind. We can all contribute to raising the level of awareness of the poor, helping them to create their own wealth.
This is the big option we’re advising you on: Become part of the Foundation’s deliberative and decision-making team by subscribing directly to the capital of the latter.
2. Registration as an ordinary member
If you do not have sufficient resources to subscribe to the capital of the Foundation, you can register as a regular member of FOSDAF and contribute a fixed amount ($ 20, or 10,000 FCFA) withdrawn monthly at source. You will thus participate in general meetings without voting rights and in the regular activities of the Foundation. In addition, you are eligible for the technical functions for which you are qualified, and will thus be a major player in achieving the objectives of FOSDAF.
3. Take participations in social enterprises organized by the Foundation
to promote its self–financing capacity, and in community micro-enterprises to promote individual and collective entrepreneurship for all. The current target company is called: Academy of Holistic Education and Technology. It is the educational and professional platform designed for the rebirth of Africa. Every African is invited to join it.The type of job that we are initiating is not that of a simple job-occupation, but a committed employment that enhances our talents and potential.
4. One-off donations
You can occasionally support our specific projects or programs; you can choose to periodically provide us with technical, logistical or financial support, depending on the time, expertise and / or resources available to you.
5. Modest but regular contributions of 1 $ or 500FCFA per month.
This is the option requested of all Africans concerned about the development of their continent and contributing to the blossoming of the individual and collective potentials of their communities. It doesn’t weigh on your budget, but, added to those of thousands of other goodwill others, they are likely to foster the self-sufficiency of the vast majority of Africans currently living in poverty, as well as the prosperity of Africa. in general. We encourage all Africans, all walks of life, to make the small gesture that can make a huge difference in terms of prosperity.
We call for charitable institutions, goodwill persons of any kind, caring for an emerging Africa to sponsor us with substantive resources in support to our activities. They will be thereby be part of our Comity of Sponsors, whose advise will be requested by FOSDAF Chairman in the various occasions of his action. But sponsorship will not only be financial. I may also be moral.If you are interested to the achievement of any sectoral or global aspect of our vision, your contribution is welcome.
According to its vision, FOSDAF does not offer dependent jobs as such, except punctual ones, but opportunities to add value to people’s competences in its social business enterprises, such as holistic education, the agrobusiness farm school, etc., more so as partners or associates than as employees.
Does your organization have a project? Candidates must submit a detailed project proposal in line with the Foundation’s objectives and Synergetic Basket. The funding of submitted proposal and its implementation is subject to the Board of Trustees’ approval. Candidates may also apply for the implementation of specific projects. Such projects must be directed towards empowering the target groups for building their self-sufficiency capacity and wealth. The Foundation will review the application for adherence to its program framework.
Please send us your letter of intent to:
The Foundation for Sustainable Development of Africa
P.O. Box 141161 Columbus OH 43214
Tel: (614) 352 9862
Email: info@fosdaf.org
We will contact you as soon as possible
This section is created for the publications, exhibitions and thematic discussions of our partners in all sectors.
FOSDAF mission is
• networking African skills, resources institutions projects and related, in order to turn them into an inner change dynamics, in the framework of its integrated vision;
• designing and implementing a platform of actions, that can provide African communities and economies with sound structural dynamics and continuous improvement impetus.
Therefore every development entity is welcomed as a partner as long as it shares our structural vision and accepts to join our synergistic basket as part of the development integration process, not just as a caritative institution, but as a promotor of self-reliance.
EN 
FR