Our work · Research
Charting the unfinished task.
Verified, African-owned data on the least-reached — so the Church can focus where it matters most.
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of African ethnic groups still meet the Joshua Project “least-reached” criteria
~1,000
people groups in Africa — about 138 million people — with too few believers to evangelise themselves
970
least-reached groups without a viable indigenous Christian fellowship, mostly in a belt from Senegal to Somalia
34
countries took part in the Country Assessment Process (CAP)
Information mobilises the Church
“Without an updated assessment of the least-reached and the unfinished task, we would have made no progress as far as the very reason for MANI’s existence is concerned.” — Reuben Ezemadu
At its core MANI labours to see Africans mobilised to reach and disciple the least-reached of Africa and beyond. Accurate field assessment shows where significant populations have little or no access to the Gospel — sometimes in a remote village, sometimes hidden within a city considered mostly evangelised.
When churches see the need, they move
- Ghana: a survey revealed unreached peoples and places; reports mobilised dozens of ministries, and thousands of new churches now exist among predominantly least-reached peoples.
- Kenya (GCOWE ’97): leaders learned that people groups in their highly evangelised country had no missionaries or churches; they formed a network and reached each of them.
Why African-owned research matters
- Ownership of data — people on the field are best placed to correct errors in outside lists.
- Avoid duplication — cover every area instead of saturating one place.
- Build unity — know who else will partner in a least-reached area.
- Finish the task — find and fill the gaps.
The Country Assessment Process (CAP)
Since 2009 MANI has encouraged a country-by-country review of people-group data across Sub-Saharan Africa, using the Joshua Project list as its base and overseen by the Database Advisory Team for Africa (DATA). It is voluntary, unpaid work. By the 2011 evaluation: 660 people groups had data reviewed, 13 new groups were added, 67 deleted and about 1,854 verified edits made.
The Ethnê Information System (EIS)
A database that lets African regions manage three kinds of information: Harvest Force (churches and organisations), Harvest Field (country and people-group statistics) and Ministry Activity (evangelistic involvement among specific groups). Only the Harvest Field portion is public; ministry activity is shared within security guidelines.