Leaders of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Africa network met in Johannesburg for a week-long Leadership Summit from 9 to 16 August 2026, focused on strengthening leadership, governance, collaboration, and mission across the continent.

Held under the theme "Empowered by Faith, Driven by Mission," the summit provided a forum for ADRA leaders to share experiences, strengthen partnerships, and discuss practical approaches to humanitarian and development work in Africa's diverse contexts.

ADRA International President Paulo Lopes said the summit offered an opportunity to align Africa's leadership with the organisation's global strategy while drawing on the continent's particular circumstances.

"Africa has an important role to play in shaping the future of ADRA," Lopes said. "This summit enables us to move forward together as one global network."

Discussions were structured around ADRA's four strategic priorities, Faith, Funds, People, and Systems, with particular emphasis on governance, local fundraising, partnerships, leadership development, localisation, and collaboration with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its institutions.

ADRA Africa Interim Director Geoffrey Mbwana described the summit as part of the region's initiative to reconsider how it carries out its mission.

"It was an excellent opportunity for learning, for strengthening our relationships, for encouraging one another, and for praying together that we may gain wisdom in meeting humanitarian challenges," Mbwana said.

Participants drew practical value from the sessions. Andreia Dos Anjos of ADRA Cape Verde, attending her first ADRA Africa Summit, highlighted the value of sessions on local fundraising, governance, staff management, and donor relations. David Masinde, Director of ADRA Mozambique, said the summit had reshaped his approach to team leadership.

"I intend to put these lessons into practice so as to improve team engagement, promote a sense of ownership, and better align our operations with our objectives," Masinde said.

ADRA International Vice President Teresa Ferreira said the summit's theme captured the connection between conviction and service.

"Faith inspires action, and mission drives us on," Ferreira said. "Justice, compassion, and love turn what we believe into the way in which we serve."

The importance of localisation featured prominently. Zerihun Awano Kere, Programs Director for ADRA Ethiopia, described his office's experience implementing projects across three regions of the country. "Localisation is essential for sustainability, for strengthening local capacity, and for ensuring long-term results for communities," Kere said. Nathan Nitin of ADRA Kenya said exchanging perspectives with African peers had reinforced his commitment to collaborative leadership: "I now have new perspectives and practical insights which I can use to promote more strategic, collaborative, and impact-driven operations."

Sakala Ncube, ADRA's Country Director in South Africa, urged leaders to keep ADRA's values visible wherever human dignity is at stake, drawing on the agency's recent response to displaced migrants in South Africa, where more than 2,000 Zimbabwean nationals were supported through voluntary repatriation from Cape Town in July 2026.

"Justice, compassion, and love are not just a slogan," Ncube said. "They are a calling."

ADRA Africa Chief Financial Officer Dibden Chileya said the summit's real success would be measured by what leaders now put into action in their own countries.

"What we should witness is stronger, more united, and purpose-driven leadership turning its commitments into collaboration, innovation, and tangible results," Chileya said.

As the official humanitarian and development agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, ADRA operates as a key expression of the Church's Integrated Mission approach. Whether through disaster relief, food aid, access to clean water, restoration of livelihoods, or protection of human dignity, ADRA's work extends the Church's care into the practical needs of vulnerable communities, a role that also positions the agency as an essential partner in the world Church's OneVoice27 initiative.

As delegates left Johannesburg, the measure of the summit will be found in what happens next: stronger governance, more empowered leaders, sustainable partnerships, deeper cooperation with the Church, and humanitarian work that improves lives across the continent.