Adekunle Gold and Pesa back four sickle cell charities with $20,000
The singer's foundation and financial platform Pesa will fund groups in Nigeria, Ghana, Canada and the UK, three weeks after he told BBC Radio 1Xtra a sickle cell crisis put him in a wheelchair mid-trip.
By Duke Terry, Editor
· 4 min read
- Singer Adekunle Gold's foundation and financial platform Pesa launched a $20,000 sickle cell initiative, We're Not Done, on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
- The money will fund four groups: SAMI in Nigeria, Sickle Life in Ghana, Not Just You in Canada and It Takes A Village in the UK.
- Adekunle Gold, who was born with sickle cell, told BBC Radio 1Xtra in September 2026 that a crisis on a flight left him in a wheelchair.
The gist in 30 seconds
- Singer Adekunle Gold's foundation and financial platform Pesa launched a $20,000 sickle cell initiative, We're Not Done, on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
- The money will fund four groups: SAMI in Nigeria, Sickle Life in Ghana, Not Just You in Canada and It Takes A Village in the UK.
- Adekunle Gold, who was born with sickle cell, told BBC Radio 1Xtra in September 2026 that a crisis on a flight left him in a wheelchair.
Adekunle Gold, the Afrobeats singer who lives with sickle cell, and the financial platform Pesa have put $20,000 behind four charities fighting the disease in four countries. His foundation announced the programme, called “We’re Not Done”, in a statement to Premium Times on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
The money goes to the Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative (SAMI) in Nigeria, Sickle Life in Ghana, Not Just You in Canada and It Takes A Village in the UK. The statement did not say how the $20,000 will be shared between them.
For Adekunle Gold, 39, born Adekunle Kosoko, this one is personal. He was born with sickle cell, and three weeks ago he described a crisis on a plane that ended with him in a wheelchair.
What is Adekunle Gold’s We’re Not Done initiative?
It is a fund for groups already working with people who live with sickle cell, run by the Adekunle Gold Foundation (AGF), with the financial platform Pesa backing the launch and the first round. According to the statement, the four groups will spend it on access to healthcare, patient support, public education and awareness campaigns.
“We’re Not Done is about turning awareness into action,” Adekunle Gold said in the statement. Tosin Olaniyi, Pesa’s head of global growth and marketing, said the company was backing the launch and its “first impact cycle”, which suggests more rounds are planned. Neither side has named dates for them.
How much is $20,000 in naira?
About ₦26.7 million, using the official rate of ₦1,332.90 to the dollar reported by Techeconomy on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. The statement gave the figure only in dollars.
If the four groups got equal shares, each would receive $5,000, roughly ₦6.7 million. AGF and Pesa have not said the split is equal, so that figure is arithmetic, not an announcement. The bigger change is who gets the money: his 2025 scheme paid for patients directly, while this one funds organisations.
How did we get here?
Adekunle Gold has spent more than two years turning his own diagnosis into public work. Here is the trail, from our own check of the record:
- February 2024: he tells sickle cell survivors “If I can do it, you can too”, Vanguard reports.
- Saturday, 11 May 2024: AGF and SAMI run a medical outreach in Lagos for about 250 patients, with check-ups and medication, according to Premium Times. SAMI is now one of the four groups in the new fund.
- Wednesday, 15 May 2024: in a TikTok post he says it took him years to share publicly that he was born with sickle cell, and that more than 100,000 children are born with it in Nigeria every year.
- June 2025: for World Sickle Cell Day, AGF launches “5 Star Care”, free health insurance for 1,000 people living with the disease (Premium Times).
- Tuesday, 29 September 2026: BBC Radio 1Xtra posts a clip in which he describes a crisis on a flight to Tanzania that left him unable to walk when the plane reached Ethiopia. GistMatrix covered that interview here.
- Thursday, 22 October 2026: “We’re Not Done” is announced.
What happens next
As of 5:30pm WAT on Thursday, 22 October, the statement to Premium Times was the only public detail GistMatrix could find; no payment dates or reporting dates had been given. The next fixed date on AGF’s calendar is World Sickle Cell Day, on Saturday, 19 June 2027, the day it chose for 5 Star Care in 2025.
FAQ
Does Adekunle Gold have sickle cell?
Yes. He has said publicly that he was born with sickle cell disease, and in a BBC Radio 1Xtra interview in September 2026 he described a crisis on a flight to Tanzania.
Which charities get the We’re Not Done money?
SAMI in Nigeria, Sickle Life in Ghana, Not Just You in Canada and It Takes A Village in the UK, according to the foundation’s statement of 22 October 2026.
How much is Adekunle Gold giving?
The initiative is worth $20,000, about ₦26.7 million at the official rate of 7 October 2026. Pesa is backing the launch.
Do you know someone living with sickle cell? Tell us in the comments what support would help most.
Read next: Adekunle Gold: sickle cell crisis on a flight put him in a wheelchair · Headies 2026 postponed: Toronto ceremony moves to April 2027
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- Premium Times: Adekunle Gold, Pesa commit $20,000 to sickle cell organisations (22 October 2026)
- Vanguard: I couldn't walk — Adekunle Gold recounts sickle cell crisis on flight to Tanzania (30 September 2026)
- Vanguard: If I can do it, you can too, Adekunle Gold tells sickle cell survivors (February 2024)
- Adekunle Gold on TikTok: post on living with sickle cell (15 May 2024)
- Techeconomy: Dollar to naira: naira slips to ₦1,332.90 at official market (7 October 2026)
- GistMatrix: Adekunle Gold: sickle cell crisis on a flight put him in a wheelchair (30 September 2026)
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Duke Terry is a filmmaker, content creator and AI educator with a love for great movies, entertainment and the ideas shaping what comes next. At GistMatrix, he brings a creator’s eye and a fan’s curiosity to movie discoveries, pop culture and AI, giving you fresh perspectives and plenty worth talking about.
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