Songhai Newsletter- August 21, 2025
From the office of the President,
Songhai International
California, USA
Ms. Susan Mattern
SONGHAI 2.0 – The New Beginning
Newsletter Edition – August 21, 2025
Thanks to all those who have shown interest in our non-profit group Songhai International. As part of the celebration of its 40th year, our name has been changed from the “Songhai Support Group” to “Songhai International” in order to encompass the ever-widening range of people in many countries who are involved with the program.
I’ve had the privilege of visiting Songhai for the fourth time this summer. Songhai is first and foremost an agricultural center in Porto-Novo, Benin, but it’s so much more than that. With its organic agriculture, solar energy, biogas, its emphasis on no waste, and the use of modern technology, it has become a leader in training the youth of Africa in land restoration, agriculture and technology. Songhai has trained over 30,000 youth. This year marks the 40th anniversary of its founding by an African Dominican priest, Father Nzamujo, and part of that celebration is a renewal called “New Beginnings.” This involves the expansion of new projects in many countries in Africa, including a continued partnership with Mastercard of Canada, whose representatives just came for an evaluation. They found that Songhai met and exceeded all their standards in every area, nancial, agricultural production, training of youth, and land restoration.
Father Nzamujo will be publishing his latest book about Songhai as part of the 40th year celebration in late 2025.
As I walk around the center, I see so many people from different countries, some just tourists, but many wanting to study and replicate Songhai in their own countries. Songhai has always been a symbol of hope for me, but especially this year, in our current political climate. I see the concern with energy conservation by the use of solar panels; and the land being restored by compost and microbes rather than chemicals and pesticides. Much of Africa’s land has
been ruined, and Songhai methods can restore the land and increase production.
Over 70% of the trainees are women, and that gives me hope, because in so many parts of the world, women are still second-class citizens even after all the attempts at equality and inclusion. It’s good to see the respect and opportunity.
Songhai’s name was taken by the founder and director, Father Nzamujo, because it was a great African civilization a few centuries ago in Africa. His hope is that this current Songhai will be a reflection of that greatness, and when I look around me and see what he and all these people have accomplished, I know that it is a community to be proud of and will continue to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
I hope that you will continue to be part of this great work.
Susan Mattern
President of Songhai International
Explore our newest newsletter below, or download the PDF for easy reading.
What Is Songhai?
Songhai is a non-profit 501 c) (3) corporation registered in the United States and the State of California for the purpose of supporting the activities and training at Songhai in Africa.
We have just set up online donations at Zeffy which will go directly into the Songhai account to be used for education, training of students, solar equipment, and a microbiology lab. The details are below.
Donate to Songhai to Make a Difference
The Songhai Program is more than an agricultural project—it is a regenerative, systems-based transformation platform. Born out of the urgency to rethink Africa’s development trajectory, Songhai is a holistic, integrated agro-ecological initiative that builds sustainable food systems while training a new generation of African leaders to spearhead green entrepreneurship and socio-economic regeneration.
We understand that Africa’s transformation cannot be reduced to agricultural productivity alone. It requires the construction of resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems—economically viable, socially inclusive, and ecologically sound.