When considering the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa, Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said their faith is inspiring and pushes him to want to be a better disciple himself.
Recently, Elder Gilbert met with the Church’s Africa West Area presidency, where they discussed the growth of the Church, the impact of BYU–Pathway Worldwide and the strength of seminary in the lives of youth.
In a post accompanying the video on his social media channels, Elder Gilbert wrote that the meeting reaffirmed how grateful he is to witness “the majesty of this moment of growth in the Church.”
The area presidency consists of Elder Alfred Kyungu as president and Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran and Elder Isaac K. Morrison his counselors, with all General Authority Seventies. Elder Kyungu is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Elder Ojediran is from Nigeria, and Elder Morrison is from Ghana.
The area includes the countries of Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
“This Africa West Area is growing so fast, it’s really incredible the things we are witnessing,” Elder Kyungu said.
He pointed to the creation of 15 stakes and seven missions so far during his time as area president. Those new missions will begin this July.
With the growth comes challenges and opportunities. Elder Kyungu said they are trying to understand “how do we support that growth?” One focus has been on building strong leaders.
Elder Gilbert and Elder Ojediran talked about how one of the ways to develop those future leaders and build a solid foundation for the Church in the area is through education — and in particular through BYU–Pathway Worldwide, which is an affordable online higher-education platform supported by the Church.
Earlier this year, Elder Gilbert was in Nigeria with Elder Ojediran, looking at the impact of BYU–Pathway on the Latter-day Saints.
Elder Ojediran said about one-third of the global enrollment in BYU–Pathway is happening in the Church’s Africa West Area, and the educational program is “a remarkable blessing” in the lives of the Church members.
“We are having increased membership, and a lot of people are joining the Church, and the good thing is this is helping members to be spiritually and temporarily self-reliant as disciples of Jesus Christ,” Elder Ojediran said.
Elder Morrison, meanwhile, is an example of the beautiful successes of seminary. He was invited to go to seminary when he wasn’t a member of the Church.
“When I got there, I felt I belonged. I felt loved by my peers,” Elder Morrison said. “Seminary is a great blessing in the Africa West Area.”
Seminary enrollment in the Africa West Area is over 60,000 students, Elder Morrison explained, and shows how the youth are heeding the call and invitation of the Prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks, to attend seminary and institute regularly.
The presidency spoke with Elder Gilbert when they were all in Salt Lake City. He thanked them for their time and for their service, saying, “What a thrill for me to serve with you in an area of the Church that I love so much and, more importantly, that I know the Lord loves so much.”
Watch the whole conversation on Elder Gilbert’s YouTube channel.
The Church in Africa
There are more than 1 million members of the Church on the African continent. As the Church News recently reported, in the first six months of 2025, conversions rose by more than 20% over the previous year in Africa.
Besides the Africa West Area, which is headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the continent also has the Africa Central Area, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya; and the Africa South Area, with headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Missionaries arrived in South Africa in April 1853. In Nigeria and Ghana, independent congregations embraced the Church’s teachings and laid the foundation for Church growth. Latter-day Saints who joined the Church while living overseas also introduced the gospel to their home countries.
Africa’s first stake, the Transvaal Stake, was organized in South Africa in 1970. The Aba Nigeria Stake, the first in the current Africa West Area, was organized in 1988, and the first stake in the current Africa Central Area was organized in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2001.
Twenty-nine temples are dedicated, under construction or announced on the continent. The first was the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, dedicated in 1985. Additional temples have been built and dedicated in South Africa and in Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Temples are announced or under construction in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.
