Shaibu Salifu

Dr Shaibu Salifu is a Ghanaian scholar and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand. His research sits at the intersection of philanthropy, labour economics, and women’s economic empowerment, with a sustained focus on financial inclusion, female labour force participation, and policy design in emerging African economies. He completed his PhD in Management at Wits Business School in 2025. His doctoral thesis, Philanthropy and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Ghana, adopted a mixed-methods approach to examine how philanthropic interventions shape women’s access to financial resources and participation in labour markets. His work contributes to ongoing debates on the feminisation of labour, social investment, and the institutional role of philanthropy in development. Dr Salifu has received several competitive awards and research grants. He was named runner-up for the Dino Petrarolo Emerging Economies Doctoral Dissertation Award for the Africa and Middle East Region (2025). He was also selected as a Visiting Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, one of seven fellows chosen globally and the only fellow affiliated with an African university in that cohort. His research has further been supported by CAPSI research grants, the Bradlow Research Funding award, and the Wits Postgraduate Merit Award. His scholarly output includes peer-reviewed publications on philanthropy and female labour force participation, corporate foundations and financial inclusion among women in Ghana, and corporate social responsibility and brand outcomes in the telecommunications sector. He has presented his research at leading international forums, including the International Society for Third-Sector Research conferences and African philanthropy platforms. Beyond journal publications, Dr Salifu is currently co-editing two major book projects: Convergence of Venture Capital, Philanthropy, and Social Innovation: New Avenues for Africa’s Development, which explores hybrid financing and innovation ecosystems across the continent, and Christianity and Philanthropy in Africa, which examines faith-based giving traditions, institutions, and development trajectories. These projects aim to deepen theoretical and empirical engagement with African philanthropy in comparative perspective. He is also leading independent research projects on the prevalence of drug abuse and crime in South Africa, examining the potential role of philanthropic actors in prevention and rehabilitation, as well as ongoing work on illegal mining and its socioeconomic consequences. These projects reflect his broader commitment to linking philanthropy, public policy, and pressing social challenges. Before entering academia full-time, Dr Salifu held leadership and teaching roles in Ghana and South Africa, including lecturing in business management, marketing, and human resource management, and serving in the financial services sector. His interdisciplinary training and professional experience inform his applied research orientation and engagement with policymakers, practitioners, and civil society actors. At CAPSI, he continues to advance research, supervision, and policy engagement on African philanthropy and inclusive development.