Wicknell Chivhayo and the Rise of African Givers Who Don’t Wait for Permission
Wicknell Chivhayo, the flamboyant, unapologetic, and profoundly generous Zimbabwean mogul, has now donated over $60 million of his personal fortune to causes across the African continent. And no, he didn’t form a trust, stage a PR summit, or roll out a TED Talk to do it.
He just gave.
From luxury vehicles handed to community pastors, to full tuition for underprivileged students, to building homes for families living in poverty, Chivhayo’s giving style is as direct as it is disarming. In an age of performative philanthropy, he cuts through the bureaucracy like a machete in the savanna.
“He doesn’t just fund projects. He funds people. Immediately,” said New York-based philanthropy analyst Ted Hawkins. “And in doing so, he’s showing African and global elites that giving doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be real.”
Let’s take stock of this moment: Chivhayo’s charitable impact now outpaces Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s $35 million, and puts him in the rarefied company of global philanthropists who’ve given over $50 million in lifetime contributions. He joins a list that includes Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg, and MacKenzie Scott. But the difference is clear: Chivhayo’s billions are still being built—and he’s giving anyway.
It’s a radical form of generosity that seems designed for Africa’s realities. Traditional philanthropy often fails to move quickly enough for communities in crisis. But Chivhayo, with a smartphone and a heart for the continent, has found a different rhythm—African time, redefined as now.
His giving isn’t disconnected from his business strategy either. Chivhayo now has a strategic footprint in East, Central, and Southern Africa, with interests in energy, logistics, and technology infrastructure. His presence in Kenya, where he shares a notable rapport with President William Ruto, is not just diplomatic—it’s operational. Chivhayo has already driven investments into Kenya’s ICT and renewable energy sectors, and creatives across Nairobi are hopeful he’ll do more.
That’s the other side of his story—economic empowerment as philanthropy. To Chivhayo, funding a digital artist in Kampala or a rural solar project in Zimbabwe is just as important as cutting a ribbon at a hospital. He’s building an ecosystem, not just a legacy.
Of course, his style has drawn criticism. He’s bold, unapologetically flashy, and very online. But to reduce his work to Instagram giveaways is to miss the deeper point: Chivhayo represents a new class of African leaders who are wealthy, connected, and rooted in the continent’s transformation.
He is part of a growing movement of African philanthropists who do not seek Western validation to be credible. They do not wait for conferences to be convened or funds to be matched. They act. And they give.
In doing so, Wicknell Chivhayo may not just be building Africa—he may be rebuilding the very definition of philanthropy itself.
