Sahel/Sub-Saharan Africa
About the Region
From cosmopolitan coastlines to traditional villages in the bush, Sahel/Sub-Saharan Africa’s peoples are vibrant and energetic.
Many Christians live in this region, but Islam’s influence is expansive, stretching from the Red Sea down into East Africa and westward toward the Atlantic along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
Political instability and humanitarian crises have characterized some countries in the region. Abundant opportunities exist to advocate for social justice, serve the urban poor, and bring about Gospel transformation.
Quick Facts
- Dominated by the Sahel, a semi-arid grassland separating the Sahara from the savanna
- Home to several nomadic people groups with no access to the Gospel
- A spiritually complex land where folk traditions intermingle with Islamic practice
Missional Opportunities
- Community development
- Skills training
- Business and consulting
- Education
- Public health
- Refugee ministry
- Social justice
- English teaching
- Engineering
- IT
Spiritual Climate
Throughout Sahel/Sub-Saharan Africa, Muslims have a heightened awareness of the spiritual world around them. Their devotion to Islam is steeped in folk practices meant to appease spirits and guard against sickness, misfortune, and curses.
In parts of the region, the stain of slavery retains a visible hold on hearts and lives. Along the Atlantic coast, slave trading forts still stand, marking the door of no return for untold millions of enslaved Africans shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas. In some countries, pernicious class systems perpetuate the enslavement of marginalized peoples.
