Pastor E.A Adeboye and his wife Pastor 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 States were lodged while in town for the UNGA.
The occasion was the launch of Africa Missions Global’s (AMG) latest initiative named Horizon 2033.
Through the new initiative, AMG plans to reach 10m more people in Africa and around the world in the next ten years with humanitarian support, an objective the organisation founded by Mrs. Adeboye has been pursuing since 1996. Since then and up until later the organisation was known simply as Africa Missions.
However, friends and collaborators of Africa Mission, 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 states 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 prefer 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 got notice, 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 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 support 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 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 States 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, 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 America 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, 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.”
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.
