The Open Society Foundation (OSF), established by American-Hungarian billionaire George Soros, has decided to close some of its offices in African countries. Bloomberg first reported the organization’s plans to shutter several African offices. The affected cities in Africa include Kampala in Uganda, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Cape Town in South Africa, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Abuja in Nigeria. However, the offices in Kenya, Senegal, and Johannesburg in South Africa will continue their operations.
In a letter to its staff, Binaifer Nowrojee, OSF’s Vice President of Programs, explained that sustaining operations across offices had become increasingly challenging, especially after a 40% staff downsizing. Nowrojee mentioned, “With the decision by the board in June to cut the staff by more than 40%, our staffing size and footprint need to diminish by necessity. We no longer have the bandwidth to operate multiple small offices, hence the decision to further reduce our locations.”
Africa Executive Director Muthoni Wanyeki issued a statement expressing apologies for the development, saying, “I’m very sorry that it’s turned out this way. It’s obviously not what any of us expected, and I am also very sorry that I didn’t have the information on this earlier.”
The Open Society Foundation is known for its annual commitment to charity, allocating Ksh15 billion to causes in Africa out of the Ksh148 billion it provides globally. Over the past three decades, under the stewardship of Soros’ son, the foundation has granted over Ksh2.8 trillion and supported more than 50,000 initiatives.
Describing its mission, the foundation’s website states, “The Open Society Foundations are active in more than 120 countries around the world, using grant-giving, research, advocacy, impact investment, and strategic litigation to support the growth of inclusive and vibrant democracies.”
George Soros, who established the foundation in 1979 after surviving the Nazi war that claimed over 38 Million lives, is well-known for his successful investment when he bet against the British pound and earned over $1 billion (Ksh148 billion) in profits. He has donated Ksh4.7 trillion of his personal wealth to fund OSF causes worldwide.