First-ever International Religious Freedom Summit in Africa to Explore “impact” of State Actions, Faith Communities

In another session titled, “African Values & Religious Freedom – Advancing Religious Freedom in Africa”, the panel will be exploring “the significant role that African values, rooted in the communal ethic of Ubuntu, which means ‘I am because we are,’ can play as a foundation for advancing religious freedom across the continent.”

According to the organizers, the panel in this session “will highlight models of cooperation, policy innovation, and community engagement that show how Africa’s heritage can serve as a powerful force in securing religious freedom across diverse contexts.”

“Faith Leaders as Ethical Innovators: Advancing Religious Freedom as a Catalyst for African Renaissance” session is to “explore how religious leadership, rooted in both spiritual conviction and African traditions of collective responsibility, serves as a driving force for social cohesion in diverse societies by uplifting the common good.”

Recognizing the fact that Africa has been characterized by “a new wave of cultural, political, and economic renewal” and that “faith leaders stand at the forefront of shaping this transformation,” the panel is to discuss how faith leaders on the continent, “drawing on the ideals of the African Renaissance ... are emerging as ethical innovators who champion religious freedom, foster interfaith collaboration, and promote governance grounded in integrity and inclusivity.”

The session is to see participants “explore practical strategies through which faith leaders can drive systemic change, such as developing interfaith networks, implementing empowerment programs for youth, and utilizing digital platforms for advocacy and education.”

According to the organizers, “By highlighting ethical stewardship and community-centered leadership, this session will demonstrate that religious freedom is not only a fundamental right but also a catalyst for sustainable development, peacebuilding, and African unity.”

In a side event that Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International has sponsored, participants are to “explore litigation, legislative, and other legal advocacy approaches to protecting and advancing the right to religious freedom across Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Titled, “Legal Approaches to Advancing Religious Freedom in Africa: Experiences from the Continent”, participants are to be guided in “sharing their personal experiences from their legal work within different regions of Africa and providing recommendations for next steps and collaboration.”

In another session with the same title that AfricanDefenders have sponsored, “victims and human rights experts” are come together focusing “on the state of religious freedom in Africa, examining it from a victim-centred approach that highlights the voices of those affected.”

Participants in this session are to examine “the role of the African human rights system, especially the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in protecting this right as outlined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and how its various mechanisms offer guidance to governments.”

Meanwhile, the session title, “Exploring Effective Judicial Innovations in Religious Freedom Conflicts” will seek to engage “Chief Justices and other justice leaders in a cross-cultural exchange” in view to “enhance regional cooperation and promote the development of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) models that are attuned to Africa’s diverse religious and cultural contexts.”

“The involvement of prominent judicial figures provides long-term credibility and institutional ownership to the initiative, laying a foundation for ongoing engagement beyond the forum,” the organizers have explained. 

For them, “This panel seeks not only to underscore legal protections and challenges but also to inspire innovative, rights-based solutions that balance religious freedom with national unity and the rule of law.”

In explaining the reason for having Africa as the venue of the IRF Summit, the organizers indicate that the continent is “home to a rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and spiritual heritage” and thus “stands at a pivotal crossroads.”

“As the world’s fastest-growing population and a region facing complex religious freedom challenges, Africa serves as an essential focus for the global religious freedom movement,” the organizers say about the venue of the Summit, whose principle organizing partners include Pepperdine University and Religious Freedom Institute. 

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“Advancing religious freedom across the continent is vital to promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development worldwide,” they say about the June 17 Nairobi IRF Summit that has the Global Peace Foundation as the in-country organizing (partner).

The IRF Africa Summit, whose Co-Chair is former Nigeria’s First Lady Mrs. Bola Obasanjo, is being realized some six months after the Open Doors International advocacy group released the World Watch List report on Christian persecution on January 15. 

The report indicated that 3,100 Christians were killed, and 2,830 Christians kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024. In the same year, Rwanda suffered the most attacks on Christian churches or buildings placing the number at 4,000, the report further indicated.

“How many more killed, displaced, abused, and imprisoned Christians do we need to count before we put religious freedom at the center of public debate?” a CNA report quotes the Director of Open Doors Italy as weighing in on the release of the World Watch List.

He continued, “In 32 years of research, we record a steady increase in anti-Christian persecution in absolute terms. 2024 is again a record year of intolerance: 1 in 7 Christians suffer discrimination or persecution because of their faith: It is crucial to get back to talking about religious freedom in the public debate.”

Meanwhile, a June 2023 report on Religious Freedom that the Pontifical charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), published, indicated that out of the 28 countries where Christians are most persecuted in the world, 13 are African.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia, Eritrea, Libya, are listed in the report as some of the African countries where Christians are persecuted the most in Africa. Others in that category include Mozambique, Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan.

Attendance for the IRF Summit at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi has been “capped at 200 persons, with online registration limited to 100.”

The registration fee of US$10.00 is to cover “the cost of meals and does not include travel or accommodations,” the organizers have stated, adding that the June 17 event “is open to the press.”