Adeboyes’ Africa Missions plans to touch 100m lives; Put on global stage during UN General Assembly week

….’They call me a dreamer,’ Adeboye says in New York, as wife launches international education initiative

By Empowered Newswire

General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye and his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye were an important feature in New York where the annual United Nations General Assembly kicked off last Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, a day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu delivered Nigeria’s statement at the commencement of the General Debate, the Adeboyes stepped up at the Millennium Hilton right across from the UN head office building, the hotel where several Heads of State were lodged while in town for the UNGA.

The occasion was the launch of Africa Missions Global (AMG)’s latest initiative named Horizon 2033.

Through the new initiative, AMG plans to reach 100m more people in Africa and around the world in the next ten years with humanitarian support, an objective the organisation, founded by Pastor (Mrs.) Adeboye, has been pursuing since 1996. Since then and up until lately, the organisation was known simply as Africa Missions.

However, friends and collaborators of Africa Missions, aware of the tremendous impact the organisation has made since, decided it was time to bring the United Nations to the awareness of what it has been doing just as it was also aiming even higher in its outreach ambitions, with the new name Africa Missions Global.

Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Life Patron of AMG puts it aptly: “gathering here today is to give us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the world” (through the Heads of State and their representatives all attending the UN General Assembly).

According to the man fondly called Daddy G.O, the Africa Missions, founded by his wife had been working “silently. We preferred not to make noise, but we are in almost all the nations in Africa. There you will find schools, boreholes, etc., done not by governments. But when the UN noticed, and they gave an honorary presentation to my wife, we felt it’s time to introduce ourselves to the world for more collaboration.”

Pastor Adeboye was referring to the conferment of the honorary award by the UN Global Women Foundation on his wife earlier in the year. He had in March, announced the honour with pride to the glory of the LORD on his Social Media handles saying: “My wife @pastorfoluadeboye has been awarded the Woman of Distinction award as an outstanding global peace ambassador for change by the United Nations Global Women Foundation. @unitednations. Glory be to Jesus, Let somebody shout hallelujah!”

So last Wednesday’s event (where Horizon 2033 was launched at the UN) actually derived from that Global Recognition of Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, especially her work through the Africa Missions Global (AMG).

Explaining its intent for the Horizon 2033, a statement from AMG also noted that “we are seeking to build new friendships across public and private sector organisations and individuals that share our vision and are open to supporting our ambition to reach 100 million people by 2033.”

AMG plans to help achieve some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals especially the SDG 4 focusing on Education.

According to AMG “quality education remains one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. It is also the 4th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) as adopted by the United Nations in 2015 which aims to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

“In October 2021 as part of our strategic review, we set out our ambition – Horizon 2033 – which has at its heart the drive to touch and impact over 100 million lives globally in 10 years by 2033 predominantly through educational initiatives, building on the track record we have set, over the years, across several countries in Africa.”

Pastor Folu, also lovingly called Mummy G.O by millions around the world, was full of glad excitement at the UN event where a number of African Heads of State and the UN as an institution were all well represented.

Nigeria’s President was represented by the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the President of Togo also sent his senior Minister for Housing, Mr. Kodjo Tepe Adedze (who was just recently Minister of Commerce, Industry and Local Consumption). Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, the UN Assistant Secretary-General & CEO of the UN Global Compact was also in attendance.

Channels TV Vice Chairman, Mrs. Sola Momoh was the event chairperson as the Chair of Horizon 2033 as well. There was also Mrs. Olajobi Makinwa, a senior advisor at the UN, Billionaire Lady Folorunsho Alakija, and two Nigerian Governors: Babajide Sanwo-Olu from Lagos State and Umo Eno from Akwa Ibom. There were also representatives of AFREXIM and Tony Elumelu Foundation among others.

Senior Pastors from the RCCG who joined the Adeboyes at the UNGA sideline event included Pastor Brown Oyitso, the board chairman of AMG, Pastor and Pastor Mrs. James Fadel, the Continental Overseer the Americas I among many others.

In her remarks, the Nigerian First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu noted that the Adeboyes “have really inspired us a lot,” while commending the work of the AMG which she described as “overwhelming” adding that both Daddy G.O and Mummy G.O are leading examples of the ideal that “we are supposed to live beyond ourselves.”

In a similar vein, Pastor Folu Adeboye, the AMG Visionaire said “Horizon 2033 aims to impact the continent with its social intervention programmes in Africa and globally reaching out to the disadvantaged and the underserved.”

According to her “we want to nurture leaders of tomorrow to make them citizens of the world with strong moral values and integrity, hardworking and entrepreneurial. The new media is filled with narratives of disaster. We can’t afford to sit back and not act.”

She concluded that Africa Missions Global in meeting the 100m target in 10 years would be partners with governments, multilateral and philanthropic organisations including like-minded persons.

Governor Sanwo-Olu echoed this in his goodwill message when he said AMG has brought the event to the right venue and at the right time as heads of State gather in New York for the annual UNGA. In a similar vein, the CEO of the UN Global Compact Ojiambo lauded the commitment of AMG and for all its work over the years, especially in the areas of education and health.

And for those wondering how possible it is for AMG to touch 100m lives in a decade, Pastor Adeboye rounded it up very well, recalling how often people see him as a “dreamer”. Said he: “We serve God by serving the people. We see a great future so great only God can make it happen. They call me a dreamer. Within the next ten years, AMG will touch 100m lives whether you believe it or not!”