African Christian leaders hold Jerusalem start-up summit

ByILANIT CHERNICK  Jerusalem Post, August 30, 2017 23:59    

http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/African-Christian-leaders-hold-Jerusalem-start-up-summit-503849

About 70 delegates from countries including Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Tanzania and Kenya took part in the four-day event.

DELEGATES TO the African Leadership Summit pose outside Jerusalem’s Grand Court Hotel on Monday. (photo credit:ILANIT CHERNICK)

Christian leaders from several African countries concluded meetings in Jerusalem on Wednesday with Israeli start-ups, politicians and businesses during the African Leadership Summit hosted by the Institute for Christian Leadership Development.

“Africa Celebrates Jerusalem” is this year’s theme for the summit, which aims to strengthen ties between Israel and Africa.


The main goal is for African Christian leaders to connect with the different sectors of the country including agriculture, economic and technology.

About 70 delegates from countries including Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Tanzania and Kenya took part in the four-day event.

Pastor Segun Olanipekun, summit coordinator and chief executive officer of the Institute for Christian Leadership Development, said what encouraged the organization to call the summit was the leadership crisis in Africa.

“There’s not a lot of leaders that the youngsters can look up to because of the poor and inept leadership.

“Israel has united and strong leadership and we are looking to it for help,” he said.

Olanipekun explained that Israel’s leadership and the Jewish people have a purpose, to build a nation. “Israel has empowering start-ups... it grows and exports [fruits and vegetables] from the desert – Africa has good, fertile land but we are begging for food. As Africans we desire all of this and we want to learn from Israel,” he said. “We want to reconnect with the covenant of Abraham – the land, the people and the culture.”

Read more at http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/African-Christian-leaders-hold-Jerusalem-start-up-summit-503849