Africa, especially Nigeria, is the future of Rotary International, according to Francesco Arezzo, who is the President of the global service organisation which has over 1.4 million members in 46,000+ clubs, dedicated to tackling humanitarian challenges
At a town hall meeting organised by Rotary International District 9126 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday, Arezzo urged Nigerian Rotarians to intensify membership growth and increase contributions to The Rotary Foundation (TRF).
This, he said, would deepen impact and expand service delivery.
The meeting, themed: “Expanding Reach, Deepening Impact”, was part of activities for Arezzo’s two-day visit to Ibadan.
According to him, the African continent, having about 45,000 members, compared to Italy’s over 40,000 members alone, holds enormous potential for Rotary’s growth.
‘Africa is the future of Rotary International, but you have to be convinced that you can do more.
‘Growing in membership and donations is the pathway to stronger representation globally’, he said.
According to Arezzo, Rotary International dues stand at $90 annually.
Describing this as affordable, he urged members to work with district and club leadership on other financial obligations.
He added that Nigeria maintained a positive balance with TRF, receiving more in project funding than it contributed, due to global grants targeted at high-need communities.
Earlier, District 9126 Governor, Rotarian Batife Funkeakpo identified retention challenges as a major concern.
He attributed the declining membership partly to high costs driven by exchange rate fluctuations and logistics expenses for meetings and events.
‘At the beginning of the year, we started with over 1,000 members, but we have seen a drop.
‘Exchange rate and rising costs have made participation expensive for many members’, he said.
A TRF Trustee, Rotarian Pearl Okoro urged members of the district to show more commitment through their actions.
She encouraged members to be more ambitious in their giving, stressing that foundation funds return to districts through grants and projects.
Also, Rotary International President-elect, Rotarian Yinka Babalola called for intentional membership recruitment, improved value proposition and stronger leadership capacity to reposition Rotary in Nigeria.
He noted that the long-term vision was to increase district membership to at least 4,000, adding that sustainable growth would strengthen Nigeria’s voice within Rotary’s global structure.
Some members at the forum called for greater motivation, enhanced regional representation and clearer value propositions to boost membership retention and encourage prompt payment of dues.
They also appealed for stronger support from past district governors and regional leaders to strengthen weaker clubs and districts.
The meeting provided a platform for open dialogue on strategies to grow membership, improve engagement and enhance Rotary’s humanitarian impact across Nigeria.
