AM Africa is continually adding more students from diverse countries in the region. Pastor Livingstone, AM Africa representative, is actively communicating with schools and local church leaders to connect students from Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania, and more.
Most recently, the focus for Africa’s mission is the current pioneering in Nigeria. AM connected various students to the missionaries there, who are preparing to establish future leaders in the nation.
Located on the western coast of Africa, Nigeria ranks the country with the largest population size in Africa. There is currently a population size of 211.5 million people and it is projected to grow to 728 million people in the near future which will surpass the United States. As one of the world’s most populous countries, there is great hope for the expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
While the concern of high fertility rate is leading the Nigerian government to find ways to put an end to this rapid growth, Christians can view the increase in population as a precious gift from God as that means that millions of youth will have a chance to know Christ before they are an adult.
Nigeria is becoming more and more of a youthful nation which makes this the perfect place for youth mission to thrive. The median age between males and females in Nigeria is 18 years old which means that youth under the age of 30 make up 70% of the Nigerian population.
As one of the fastest-growing countries, Nigeria also has one of the largest Christian populations in Africa. However, in recent years there has been this Christian-Muslim divide that has caused disunity among Nigerian Muslims in the north and Nigerian Christians in the South. According to a survey conducted in 2010 by Pew Research, there was an equal divide with 48.8% Nigerians identifying as Muslim and 49.3% identifying as Christians.
Part of this divide is that most Nigerians choose to identify themselves with religion over nationality. While the role of religion has shaped the way that Nigerians live, it is evident that they are in need of the truth and changing power of the Gospel of Christ.
When guided through the word of God, the youth in Nigeria can be impactful in the expansion of mission as they become co-workers with God. Many are passionate for change as they have proven so in recent rallies and protest as they have been the bearers of bad government.
Please pray that many Nigerian youth can be evangelized and raised well through the word of God, so that there can be great change and revival across all of Africa