The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing at “an amazing pace” in the Africa West Area, said Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“It’s very clear that as we prepare for the return of the Savior, the Lord is preparing His people who can prepare the world for His return,” the Apostle said in a video posted to social media. “And it’s a miracle to see that happening here in the Africa West Area.”
Elder Gilbert spent Aug. 21-29 in Ghana and Sierra Leone, ministering to local Church members and leaders. He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert.
Throughout his visit, Elder Gilbert focused on three important themes: Jesus Christ, leadership development and education.
Witnessing of the Savior
Elder Gilbert’s August trip was his first time in the Africa West Area as an Apostle, he said in an interview with Church News, and his first time bearing witness of the Savior in that area.
“I could really feel their faith in Christ, which let me really bear a witness that was heartfelt and powerful because they were prepared,” Elder Gilbert said of the area’s Church members.
In a social media video, Elder Gilbert is heard bearing his testimony to Church members in Ghana.
“I am amazed at what He has done in my own life,” Elder Gilbert said of the Savior. “I am someone who is under construction, and yet He takes us and He molds us and He makes us into something far better than we could be on our own.”
Elder Gilbert also spoke about “The Living Christ” document, which includes many of the Savior’s names, such as “the Messiah,” “the Redeemer” and “the great Jehovah.”
Elder Gilbert said he loves each of these titles, but his favorite one is in the document’s title itself — “The Living Christ.”
“Jesus Christ lives,” Elder Gilbert testified. “He is real. He is working in our lives. He’s working in the lives of those who serve. As we point everything we do back to the Savior, He will change us.”
Leadership development
In another social media video, Elder Gilbert noted the Africa West Area’s remarkable growth. In the last five years, over 150,000 people joined the Church, he said; and this year, the area expects more than 60,000 baptisms. The area’s total membership is expected to exceed 600,000 people by the end of the year.
With so much growth, a primary focus for the area is building leaders within the Church, Elder Gilbert said. And the miracle isn’t just the baptismal growth — it’s “how the Church prepares everyday people, just like you and me, to serve in callings and to grow and become leaders in His Church.”
In an interview, Elder Gilbert said he taught individuals in the Africa West Area principles of leadership from Chapter 4 of the Church’s General Handbook, including delegating, following up, listening and working in councils.
“In the Africa West Area, we will become a leadership development specialist because we have such a young church and such a growing church,” Elder Gilbert said. “This will be a hallmark of our leadership in the area.”
Education
One way that the Saints in West Africa are preparing for leadership roles, Elder Gilbert continued, is through education. He and Sister Gilbert visited a new Global Education Center in Accra, Ghana, which will house study spaces, career development resources and more than 100 computers, all in support of Church educational programs, the Church’s Ghana Newsroom reported.
Elder Gilbert said he hopes those who see the Church’s Global Education Centers will see a commitment to both education and discipleship. In 2025, BYU–Pathway served more than 27,000 students in the Africa West Area, with enrollment increasing 22% between August 2025 and August 2026.
“President Brian K. Ashton at BYU–Pathway often says talent around the world is equally distributed but opportunities are not. And BYU–Pathway is infusing opportunities into the lives of these students,” said Elder Gilbert, who previously served as the president of BYU–Idaho, the president of BYU–Pathway Worldwide and the Church commissioner of education.
Elder and Sister Gilbert also visited a Succeed in School class while in Sierra Leone. Nearly 50,000 youth in the Africa West Area currently participate in the Church’s Succeed in School program, which helps them strengthen academic skills and prepare for future educational opportunities.
“They learn from an early age that when you involve the Lord in your learning, He’ll take you to places you could never go by yourself,” Elder Gilbert said.
