People profile

The Hausa are the dominant ethnicity in northern Nigeria numbering over 33 million. 70% of them live in rural communities. Nearly 14 million more Hausa live throughout West Africa, Algeria, and Europe. Nearly half of all Nigerians speak Hausa, a language infused with Arabic words.

Historically, the Hausa brought Arab colonization to the Sahel and led annual raids among lesser tribes to engage in the massive slave trade to North Africa.

Strategic prayer

  • Although the Hausa people are considered to be unreached, (3%) are Christian. The strongest association of Hausa-related churches is the Evangelical Church of West Africa. Multiple Hausa-language ministries are active in the north: Bible distribution, medical and development services, hymns, youth and children’s camps, Bible schools, radio broadcasts, and church services.
  • Persecution against Christian communities and against new converts in particular is very high. New believers can be tried in Sharia courts for apostasy. Both Hausa believers and other persecuted Christians in Nigeria’s north are amongst the least reported martyrs in the 21st century.
  • A small minority of some 200,000 Maguzawa Hausa still remains neither Muslim nor Christian and the Sawas group has shown very encouraging response to the Gospel.