We offer a wide range of high-quality teaching and extra-curricular activities.

In the late 1970s, Dr. Bill Bright, Founder and President of Campus Crusade for Christ, Which is the mother ministry for The Great Commission Ministry Ethiopia, started the International Christian Graduate University (ICGU). Its purpose was to train Christian leaders to help fulfill the Great Commission. Part of the vision of ICGU was to raise a new breed of Christian leaders who would combine theological knowledge with practical ministry skills. The first institution established to fulfill this vision was the International School of Theology (ISOT) in California.

In 1981 the International Christian Graduate University and the International School of Theology (ISOT) were started in Nairobi, Kenya, and Manila, Philippines. The Nairobi school later changed its name to the Nairobi International School of Theology (NIST).

In 1991, Dela Adadevoh, as Provost of the Nairobi International School of Theology, saw the need to develop a new approach to education that took theological and leadership training to leaders where they are instead of requiring them to come to a residential, educational institution. Therefore, out of this vision, similar schools were opened in various countries in Africa. Among them are Africa Leadership and Management Academy (ALMA) in Harare Zimbabwe, Africa Center for Theological Studies (ACTS) in Lagos Nigeria, and The International Leadership University in Bujumbura, Burundi. To ensure commonality of the mission, vision, core values, and academic standards, as well as promote collaboration and synergy among NIST, ALMA, ACTS, and other Campus Crusade For Christ related tertiary institutions in Africa agreed to adopt the common name of International Leadership University (ILU). There are currently four ILU institutions in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Burundi, and Nigeria. Four additional ILU institutions are being opened in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Ethiopia. There is also an international consortium that embraces all Campus Crusade for Christ related tertiary schools.

Member institutions of the International Leadership Consortium are:

The East Asia School of Theology, Singapore City, Singapore

The International Graduate School of Leadership, Manila, Philippines

UniLead — Latin America

IBTS Europe

The International Leadership University (ILU):, ILU Burundi, ILU Cameroon, ILU Democratic Republic of Congo, ILU-Ethiopia, ILU Ghana, ILU Kenya, ILU Nigeria, ILU Zimbabwe

ILU Ethiopia Ownership

The Great Commission Ministry Ethiopia(GCME), is the owner of the vision and assets of the institution. The board of directors of GCME provides overall leadership for ILU Ethiopia, to ensure that the vision, mission, core values, and governance are consistent with the overall macro direction of the global movement of Campus Crusade for Christ. As GCME is an affiliate of Campus Crusade for Christ(CCCI), any CCCI structure and leader that has the duty of supervising GCME, will have the charge of supervising ILU-Ethiopia as well.

ILU- Ethiopia is also part of a global consortium of educational institutions known as the International Leadership Consortium (ILC) which facilitates the sharing of resources of the member institutions. These institutions offer practical and effective collaboration, including joint programs and faculty and student exchange.

The First Intake

In December 2020, the International Leadership University–Ethiopia (ILU–E) received the first batch of students in the following programs on its main campus in Addis Ababa:

• MA in Organizational Leadership

• MA in Mission and Theology

• BA and Diploma in Mission and Leadership

ILU–E Now

In September 2023, we accepted the fourth batch of first-entry students to our campuses, with more than 500 students across the various programs (excluding 42 students who graduated in May 2023).