06 Practical steps to grow the movement
To grow the movements essential to build an Abundant African economy practical mechanisms need to be dentified to ensure effective collaboration.
This should be both within movements and with other key stakeholders. Many new movements are leaderless and organised via social media. They should not be controlled, but rather connected and encouraged. When grassroots organisations, regional networks, analysts and the media come together, the impact will be far greater than when groups work alone. The church in particular has an important role to play in equipping, empowering, catalysing and convening this movement for change. To do this it needs to build its own capacity to organise, as well as serve others in the broader Abundant Africa movement.
We unpack these ideas and techniques in more detail. These insights are not exhaustive, but could provide some inspiration for places to start. Most of these areas of movement building can and should be applied at a continental, regional, national, city and community level. Many can be applied within different sectors and institutions.
We need three things to build the church’s movement capacity and see the restoration of shalom:
1. Building agency
The Abundant Africa story seeks to facilitate the agency of every African to be a leader. Growing this agency will be essential for success.
2. Developing narratives
The Abundant Africa story is not one that will be pieced together by a small group and imposed on the continent. Instead, it will emerge from the blending of the voices of a million prophets. To allow those stories to be told we need to have practical tools to amplify the voices of people at all levels of society and from across the continent.
3. Creating accountability
People are sinful and imperfect. There are always those who oppose change and others who will deliberately exploit for personal gain. Movements need ways to maintain internal discipline, influence change in others and hold wrongdoers accountable.