Dr. Augustin Hibaile was frustrated as he witnessed local police attend church on Sundays but then live lives that did not resist corruption the rest of the week, so he started sharing God with one of his officer friends. God gripped his friend’s heart and transformed his desires. The friend eventually wanted to leave the police force to become a pastor. The police wanted him to stay because he was a good worker, so Augustin’s friend agreed to stay under one condition—that they would allow him to start a chaplaincy program for the rest of the station.  

The friend invited Augustin to serve as chaplain, and he gladly volunteered for 17 years. Over time, this effort grew into CIDEL: the Centre International for the Development of Ethical Leadership. Through CIDEL, Augustin has partnered with the University of Bangui to introduce ethical leadership to the curriculum so that leaders can be trained in a more godly way. He also teaches police, government leaders, professors, and students in the CAR, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. CIDEL has educated these leaders about issues of ethics while also sharing the gospel with them. In a region whose leadership is often characterized by corruption, CIDEL shines like a beacon of integrity that pierces the darkness. 

After 20 years of fruitful ministry, Augustin plans to retire from his role as CIDEL’s Executive Director  after the celebration of CIDEL’s milestones in August 2025. This will allow him to develop CIDEL in other African countries and universities while maintaining his role as Encompass’ Director of Partnerships in Central Africa. Pray that the transition in preparing a new Executive Director would go smoothly and that God would put the right person in that position who shares the vision to impact the society through the ministry of CIDEL. 

We’re so thankful for the transformative work God has done through CIDEL over the past 20 years. As Augustin says, “The Holy Spirit grants us the ability to do everything we do and to do it with joy. It’s the grace of God.” If you want to help train leaders in Africa, consider giving an anniversary gift to CIDEL.