SOPHOS-AFRICA
12 JANUARY 2021
SHERATON

WHY ARE WE HERE?

  • care about Ethiopia and Africa
  • think and dream together
  • input and partnership

SHARED CONCERN
 Africa

  • precarious existence
  • 422 million people (out of 1.2 billion) live on less than $2 per day.
      • immense natural resources, an increasing number of educated people, growing middle-class populations, dollar billionaires, Western aid…

Societal ills that cause poverty and deadly conflicts:

  • Corruption
  • Ethnocentrism
  • Religious extremism

Christianity:

  • 2000 years?
  • Impressive exponential growth
  • A minimal impact in terms of remedying the continent’s societal ills and contributing to moral and economic progress.

Underlying reason:

  • lack of sufficient number of people with changed mind-set and moral values.
  • Sophos-Africa seeks to contribute to the development of a critical mass of transformed minds and lives to transform people and places in Africa.

MISSION:

SOPHOS-AFRICA exists to enable individuals and communities in Africa to reconsider, practise and promote Judeo-Christian values towards resilient societal transformation.

  • Critical mass: 17.5% (18%)
  • 10 years: piloted in Ethiopia and then rolled out to Africa

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC PILLARS:

  1. Ethical: dislodging corruption by institutionalising ethical stewardship.
  2. Political: nurturing ethno-cosmopolitan patriotism towards the common good.
  3. Religious: promoting freedom of religion and preserving peaceful co-existence.
  4. Economic: poverty alleviation schemes modelled on interdependence.
  5. Academic: research think-tank to gather and analyse data, and generate ideas.

Activities in 2021: strategic and programmatic planning, partnership and resource development, registration and legal formalities, research and publication.