Chidi Koldsweat, Founder and CEO of Donors for Africa Foundation, continues to make significant strides in advancing sustainable development and social impact across the continent. Through her leadership at the global development firm, Koldsweat collaborates with governments, funding institutions, the private sector, and non-profit organisations to address systemic poverty in Africa.
With a core focus on sustainability for social entrepreneurs, Koldsweat has trained over 5,000 social impact organisations and helped raise more than $30 million in direct and indirect funding. Her work has also reached over 51,000 individuals through consistent knowledge-sharing within the development community.
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In 2019, she launched the first-ever digital African Social Innovators Bootcamp, equipping over 120 civil society organisations and entrepreneurs from 30 African countries. Participants have collectively secured more than $850,000 in funding. That effort gained momentum with a global partnership with Meta, enabling the foundation to extend its reach to Anglophone West African communities.
Koldsweat is also the visionary behind the African Women in Development Feature, a storytelling initiative that highlights African women transforming their communities through development work.
Her work has gained continental recognition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Koldsweat was appointed to the African Youth Front on COVID-19, a task force launched by the African Union’s Office of the Youth Envoy and Africa CDC. In this role, she coordinated regional virtual consultations and contributed to key policy briefs that informed the AU’s COVID-19 response strategy—emphasising the pandemic’s impact on African youth.
With over 14 years of experience across health, gender equality, sustainability, and organisational development, Koldsweat holds a Master’s degree in History and International Relations from the University of Lagos, and a leadership certificate in International Organisational Management from the University of Geneva.
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Her work has earned her numerous accolades. In 2014, she was named a finalist for Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Civil Society by CEO Global. That same year, she was selected for a cultural exchange programme by the Chinese Embassy. Earlier, she was named a Vital Voices Lead Fellow (2013) and one of Africa’s 25 most outstanding emerging women leaders under the Moremi Initiative for Leadership (2011).
Koldsweat continues to inspire a new generation of development leaders with her commitment to empowering African communities through knowledge, innovation, and strategic partnerships.
