The African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) was established in early 2009 as a partnership between Beza International Ministries, the Bible Society of Ethiopia, the Africa Area Office of United Bible Societies (UBS) and the British and Foreign Bible Society.

The vision for the ABLI project is to empower African leaders with Biblical truths which will foster integrity in leadership. We believe that this integrity will lead to transformed nations that are founded on truth and characterized by love and justice.

The ABLI consists of various events and resources that have been developed with the goal of engaging with a broad audience of African leaders from the public, private, church and nonprofit sectors. The primary activities of the ABLI are:

The African Union Prayer Breakfast
The African Union Prayer Breakfast is an event that precedes the AU Heads of State Summit that is held in Addis Ababa every January. At the AU Prayer Breakfast, heads of state, foreign ministers and diplomats join with Pan-African Christian leaders for a time of prayer for the needs of the continent.

The ABLI Forum
The ABLI Forum gathers leaders from across the continent of Africa and takes place over two days before the African Union Prayer Breakfast. The format of the Forum centers around short presentations followed by focused conversation on the role of the Bible in African society. The core topics of the Forum in 2010 are: Poverty & Social Exclusion; Good Governance & the Bible; and The Bible, Conflict, & Reconciliation.

Media Resources
The ABLI provides free access to: a video archive of the Forum presentations; original articles on Biblical leadership and African society written from various perspectives; relevant links; and regularly updated news feeds from across the continent pertaining to the Bible and Africa.

About the Partner Organizations

Beza International Ministries is a multi-faceted Christian organization founded by Dr. Betta and Sophia Mengistu. The organization is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and conducts ministry activities in Ethiopia and around the world. Our mission statement is “Empowering People With the Word of God to Reach Their Destiny.” We are committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ by sharing the truth of God’s Word through biblical discipleship and leadership development activities and by the compassion of God’s heart through humanitarian outreach. Through these efforts, our ministry seeks to see individuals, communities and society at large positively transformed.

The Bible Society of Ethiopia: Organized Bible translation and distribution work began in Ethiopia in 1812. In 1966, the Bible Society of Ethiopia was founded as an independent, inter-confessional and inter-denominational national organization. In 1972 BSE became a full member of the United Bible Societies. Every year BSE distributes over a million Bibles, New Testaments, and Biblical portions, and in 2010 alone BSE is running over 10 translation and revision projects. BSE also runs programs which work with socially excluded groups in Ethiopia, such as prisoners, those struggling with HIV and AIDS, the visually impaired and deaf, and those suffering the effects of extreme poverty. BSE also operates in Djibouti.

The Africa Area Office of United Bible Societies (UBS) is the regional office that serves the Bible Societies of Africa. The UBS is the collective name for a fellowship of 145 individual Bible Societies working in over 200 countries and territories. From wherever and however they operate, Bible Societies all share the mission of placing the Word of God in the hearts and minds of the people they serve. Bible Societies are not affiliated to any one Christian denomination. They work to serve all Christian churches and develop products and services appropriate to local needs. This includes Scripture distribution to church-goers, literacy programs for those who cannot read, audio products for those who are visually impaired, and Bible-based HIV/AIDS resources for those who are suffering and their carers. This work is often conducted through partnerships with other Christian NGOs. Special programs are developed for those with challenges such as women facing abuse, children living without parents and people in prison.

The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) works to see a day when the Bible’s God-given revelation, inspiration, and wisdom is shaping the lives and communities of people everywhere. To accomplish this vision, we work with key influencers in the media, education, politics and the arts to help them see the Bible’s connection with today’s issues. We also run initiatives designed to make the Bible, rather than religion, the issue and for it to be taken seriously and viewed positively. Thus, Bible Society’s involvement in the ABLI is about finding ways to show the value of – and need for – the Bible’s wisdom in leadership in general and governance in particular.