Sasakawa Africa Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
981316013
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Minato Ku Tokyo, JA
Phone
8190864699
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Economic Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$15,851,061
Expenses
$11,482,945
Assets
$12,623,664
Liabilities
$1,556,659

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR MAKOTO KITANAKA (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MEL OLUOCH (DIRECTOR): $172,476 total reported compensation
  • AMIT ROY (CHAIR): $143,629 total reported compensation
  • DR MAKOTO KITANAKA (PRESIDENT): $137,016 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The purpose of the association is to support africa to fulfil its aspirations in building resilient and sustainable food systems. The association engages in catalyzing knowledge sharing with african farmers and enabling food, nutrition, and income security in their communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Kano agro-pastoral development projects (ksadp) in nigeria kano: 1. Project overview - ksadp aims to increase the income and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in kano state by supporting the cultivation of rice, maize, sorghum, millet, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage. 2. Project outcomes and outputs - increased productivity and income for target farmers, and enhanced access to sustainable extension services; increased private investment in smallholder farmers.; enhanced business skills and improved market linkages through financial institutions; achievement of annual production targets; benefit up to 450,000 farmers over five years; 44 local government areas across kano state 3. Target beneficiaries - smallholder farmers cultivating 0.5 to 1 hectare during both rainy and dry seasons. Emerging commercial farmers owning more than 5 hectares of land and willing to lease land to smallholder farmers for larger-scale production. 4. Saa's inputs - demonstration and training on improved agricultural practices and seed technologies for 121,969 farmers; pilot project in the first year, targeting 9,350 small-scale commercial farmers, with 30% cost-sharing on inputs for 1 hectare per farmer; establishment of a community-based extension system to address the lack of extension services and ensure sustainability; networking of primary farmer groups to promote aggregation and collective marketing of produce; encouragement and support for networked farmer groups to enter into forward contracts with major agricultural produce buyers; training on post-harvest handling and processing; provision of high-quality seeds (cost-sharing); strenthening linkages between farmers and stakeholders through a strategic innovation platform; training on group dynamics, leadership, and management.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 49
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.8%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.6%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.1; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.8% of revenue deployed · 79.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $9.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $172K · 11 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.