The first edition of the Arab-African Summit on Non-Profit Financing took place on Thursday, November 20, at INSEA in Rabat. The event brought together experts, non-profit organization leaders, and economic stakeholders, providing a platform to rethink non-profit financing and strengthen collaboration between Africa and the Arab world. The active participation of INSEA students and EPIK Leaders members was also decisive, contributing significantly to the organization and smooth running of the summit.
An Opportunity to Rethink Social Financing
While mechanisms such as CSR, crowdfunding, and Islamic finance have existed for several years, the summit highlighted that their reach remains limited. To accelerate social impact and address contemporary challenges, it is now essential to explore new, hybrid, and innovative financing models that go beyond traditional donations and grants.
A Roadmap for Innovative and Sustainable Financing
At the conclusion of the discussions, several concrete avenues were identified:
- Hybrid financing platforms: Combining public funding, private impact investments, and citizen contributions through secure digital platforms to create integrated, transparent financial ecosystems.
- Social Impact Bonds: Mobilizing private investors to fund non-profit projects with measurable social returns that can be reinvested in future financing.
- Modernized Zakat and Waqfs: Structuring and digitizing these traditional mechanisms to increase transparency and efficiency, while funding high-impact local initiatives.
- Regional impact funds and public-private partnerships: Creating financing pools that bring together states, companies, and regional investors to support concrete social and environmental projects.
- Multi-stakeholder partnerships and co-investment: Strengthening collaboration between companies, financial institutions, NGOs, and governments to create regional funding pools targeting high social and environmental value projects.
- Local capacity building: Training non-profit organizations in financial management, governance, and impact reporting to maximize resource effectiveness.
Nizar Chaari, Founder of EPIK Leaders, stated: « The real challenge for non-profit financing in our region is to invent sustainable models that do not yet exist. This summit paves the way for innovative, digital, and collaborative mechanisms capable of mobilizing not only financial resources but also the expertise and energy of local actors across Africa and the Arab world. »
Ziad El Idrissi, President of the EPIK Leaders INSEA Club, added: « We are proud to host the first edition of this summit at INSEA. For this event, we brought together high-quality panelists to foster meaningful exchanges–an opportunity to share ideas, inspire action, and strengthen collaboration among engaged stakeholders. »
Morocco: A Strategic Hub for African Agribusiness
On the sidelines of the summit, the opening of the 4th AASU-Weldios University Symposium, organized by Nigerian partners, broadened the discussion to agricultural issues, a still underexploited economic pillar of the continent. The focus was on innovation, regional cooperation, and food security, highlighting Morocco’s strategic role in agricultural trade and fertilizers.
This momentum extends the summit’s message: financing, governance, and sustainable development can no longer be considered in isolation.
Mahmoud Cherkaoui, President of EPIK Leaders, concluded: « What motivates us is seeing projects come to life on the ground. By strengthening partnerships and modernizing existing financing tools, we enable associations and communities to move from ideas to action, delivering tangible results for local populations and measurable impact on local, national, and international development. »
