The Nigeria-Africa-Israel Initiative has called for global peace and cooperation centred on a strong relationship with Israel.

The president of NAII, Joshua Mulinge, appealed at the official launch of its 2025 summit with an inauguration dinner in Abuja.

The NAII is an organisation pioneered by Christian leaders since 2012 to engender strong relationships between African nations and Israel.

The body exists in 17 African nations and in Norway, the U.S.A. and Israel.

It also draws the attention of nations to the biblical injunction to love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Mr Mulinge said that praying for and seeking peace for Israel would bring prosperity and peace to Nigeria and other nations of the world.

The summit, he explained, was a platform to “propagate, to partner and to garner people together for the purpose of peace.”

Mr Mulinge praised Israel’s significant contributions to global well-being, particularly in technology and medicine.

He stated that the world has “all to gain and nothing to lose” by standing with Israel, crediting Israeli scientists for finding cures for many diseases.

He described Israel as a beacon of progress that has been used by God to impact the world.

Gedaliah Blum, senior partner and co-founder of the Heartland Initiative, urged the participants to reframe their perspective on the relationship between Africa and Israel.

Mr Blum stated that the bond was not merely political or economic but a 3,500-year-old spiritual war for a “new world order” established by the Bible.

According to him, this connection is rooted in a pivotal historical event.

Mr Blum described this divine revelation as a “disruption” that has been opposed for millennia.

The chairman of the board of trustees, John Praise, traced the initiative’s history back to 2012, when a Norwegian man named Eric Selle felt a divine call for Africa to lead global affairs through a strong relationship with Israel.

Mr Praise admitted to being an ardent anti-Semite at the time but said a divine encounter during Mr Selle’s sermon in his Kenyan church dramatically shifted his perspective.

He said he was the first to answer the altar call to become a “lover of Israel”, a move that surprised his wife and congregation.

He predicted a “paradigm shift” for Nigeria and Africa, adding that their initiative will attract global attention and investment.

County director, Sally William-Chinebu, advised African countries on the need for financial resilience and urged them to move from dialogue to action, from scarcity to sustainability and from a shared vision to a shared victory.

The NAII’s 2025 summit aims to strengthen ties between Africa and Israel, promoting cooperation and mutual understanding.

The initiative’s efforts are expected to have a positive impact on the continent’s development and global influence.

(NAN)