THE VISION

By Monday, 27 April, Skoll is over. Four days of panels, pitches, cocktail receptions, and polite networking have left people energised but exhausted. The African contingent, in particular, has spent the week performing for funders: making the case, telling the story, proving the impact.

They need somewhere to exhale.

‘The Gathering’ is that somewhere. It is not another conference. It is not a showcase dressed up as a networking event. It is a deliberate shift in register: from performing to being, from pitching to connecting, from consuming content to building relationships.

The Africa Centre in Southwark is the ideal home for this. It is not a conference venue. It is a cultural institution, a living room for Africa in London. The architecture, the art, the food, the music all signal: you are in an African space now. The rules are different here.

Eight hours. Five spaces. One purpose: to give African leaders, their allies, and their funders a place to do real business, have real conversations, and celebrate what they are building, in a setting that honours African culture and hospitality.

THE THREE ACTS:

The day moves through three distinct acts, each with a different energy and purpose. The arc is intentional: from structured thinking to active connection to joyful celebration. People can arrive at different times and still find their entry point, but those who stay for the full journey experience a complete story.

  • Come together. Set the frame. Go deep.

    2:00pm – 4:30pm


    2:00 – 2:15 | Arrivals

    Guests arrive to African tea, coffee, and light refreshments in the ground floor restaurant. The atmosphere is warm and unhurried. Background music from African artists sets the tone. A printed programme card guides people through the day’s three acts and helps them plan which sessions and spaces to visit.

    A “Connections Board” in the restaurant allows people to post requests: “Looking for funders interested in assistive technology in East Africa” or “Want to meet anyone working on youth employment in West Africa.” Simple, analogue, effective. FTL and SFF staff help match people throughout the day.

    2:15 – 3:15 | Opening Plenary: The Unfinished Conversation

    This is where the Oxford event pays forward. In Arch29’s ground floor (70 seated), the opening plenary picks up the thread from Wednesday’s sustainability session and broadens it. The format is a moderated conversation, not a panel. Three voices, one moderator, 45 minutes, then 15 minutes of audience exchange. The moderator’s job is to create tension and honesty, not to manage polite turn-taking.

    Voice 1:A funder who is genuinely rethinking their approach to African grantmaking. Not performing allyship, but sharing what they’re actually changing and why. This person needs credibility and candour.

    Voice 2:An African leader who has built something durable, not because a funder told them to, but because they understood that survival demanded it. They speak about what it cost, what it taught them, and what they’d tell their peers.

    Voice 3:A diaspora perspective that bridges the room. Someone from the African community in the UK who is engaged in development, investment, or philanthropy back on the continent. Their presence signals that this isn’t a conversation between Africa and the West; it’s a conversation among Africans and their allies.

    3:30 – 4:20 | Discussion Group 1 (Feeny Room)

    Home and Away: The Civic Power of the African Diaspora

    This is not another remittances conversation. It’s about the civic, political, and entrepreneurial contribution of Africans living in the UK and how that connects to development on the continent.

    How are diaspora professionals using their skills, networks, and political voice to shape outcomes in their countries of origin? What does a meaningful partnership between visiting African leaders and the established diaspora actually look like?

    FTL leads recruitment of diaspora participants from their UK network. This session is designed to fill a gap: most Skoll conversations treat Africa as a destination for philanthropy, not as a source of global civic leadership.

  • Build relationships. Do business. Go deeper.

    4:30pm – 6:30pm

    4:30 – 5:20 | Discussion Group 2 (Feeny Room)

    “When Government Becomes Your Partner” - Led by Carolyn Kandusi

    Government co-financing, service delivery contracts, policy partnerships: these are the sustainability strategies that rarely get discussed at events like Skoll because they’re complicated, context-specific, and politically sensitive. Carolyn Kandusi leads a practical session grounded in real examples. What does it actually take to get a government contract as a civil society organisation? What do you give up? What do you gain? Where has it gone wrong?

    5:30 – 6:20 | Discussion Group 3 (Feeny Room)

    “Women Building Africa” - Led by Her Initiative

    This session reframes the women-in-development conversation. It is not about gender empowerment as an abstract concept. It is about how women-led organisations approach development differently: different priorities, different methods, different relationships with communities and funders. Her Initiative leads a session that brings evidence, challenge, and ambition in equal measure.

    The Builders’ Marketplace (Arch29, 4:30 – 6:20)

    While the Feeny Room hosts discussion groups, Arch29’s ground floor transforms into the Builders’ Marketplace. This is not an exhibition. There are no banners, no stands, no brochures on tables. Instead, 8–10 African organisations each host a “conversation corner”: a small table with a single provocation question printed on a card, and two chairs.

    The provocation question captures the most interesting challenge or insight from their work. Visitors sit down, read the question, and have a conversation. It is intimate, human, and radically different from the typical conference booth. Each partner is briefed in advance: this is not a pitch session. Your job is to start a conversation, not deliver a presentation.

  • Showcase. Inspire. Remember.

    6:45pm – 10:00pm

    6:45 – 7:30 | The Partner Showcase (Arch29 Ground Floor)

    Five African leaders. Three minutes each. One story.

    Not a pitch. Not a summary of their organisation. One story that captures the heart of what they are building. A moment. A person. A turning point. The brief is deliberately narrow because constraint produces the best storytelling.

    Each presenter is coached in advance by SFF, working through their story until it is sharp, human, and unforgettable. The coaching matters: three minutes of brilliance requires more preparation than a thirty-minute presentation.

    7:30 – 8:00 | Closing Keynote

    A single voice to close the formal programme. This speaker must be someone the room respects deeply: an African leader of stature who can reflect on the day, name what was felt in the room, and send people into the evening with something to carry home.

    The keynote is 15–20 minutes maximum. It is not a lecture. It is a closing meditation: what did we do here today, why does it matter, and what comes next? SFF and FTL co-source this speaker. The right choice will be the single biggest factor in whether the evening lands or falls flat.

    8:00 – 10:00 | The Celebration

    The formal programme ends. The celebration begins. Arch29’s mezzanine opens for a full drinks and canapés reception (capacity 100). The ground floor hosts live African music. The restaurant serves a dinner spread. People move between spaces, carrying the energy of the showcase and keynote into conversation, laughter, dancing, and connection.

    This is not an afterthought. It is the point. The structured programme creates shared references.

    The celebration converts those references into relationships. Every major partnership, funding commitment, and collaboration that comes out of this event will likely trace its origin to a conversation that happened between 8pm and 10pm with a drink in hand and music in the background.