The Ashaiman Ghana Stake Center was filled with smiles, songs and the spirit of accomplishment on Saturday, July 19, as 144 students from Ghana graduated from BYU–Pathway Worldwide’s PathwayConnect program.
Hosted by the Ashaiman stake, the celebration honored not only academic achievement but also the personal growth, deepened faith and increased confidence the students gained along the way.
“This is not the end but the beginning of greater things,” said Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, who presided at the event. He added: “You have not only acquired skills and knowledge — you have also grown in faith, discipline and divine purpose.”
A program that combines faith and education
BYU–Pathway Worldwide provides affordable, accessible higher education to students around the globe, blending academic learning with principles of spiritual and temporal self-reliance. PathwayConnect helps students gain practical skills to support their families while also nurturing faith in Jesus Christ, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
Victor Ukorebi, senior manager for the Africa Region of BYU–Pathway Worldwide, urged graduates to move forward as LIGHTs — an acronym for Leaders with Integrity, embodying Gratitude, Humility and a Teachable spirit.
Osmani Saed, international area director for BYU–Pathway Worldwide, said that the program prepares “disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their churches, families and communities.”
Elder Samuel Annan-Simons, Area Seventy, congratulated the graduates and thanked program leaders for their work in lifting and preparing Latter-day Saints across Ghana.
Music, testimonies and celebration
The program included the Ghana national anthem, a performance by the Ashaiman Ghana Stake Young Single Adult Choir and the presentation of certificates to each graduate. Proud families and friends filled the room, cheering on the students.
Valedictorian Maame Efua K. Zwennes described PathwayConnect as “not just a school program.”
“It is an invitation to change — not only academically but spiritually,” she said, adding: “We learned how to write essays and manage time, yes, but we also learned how to trust in the Lord, how to listen to the Spirit and how to become true disciples of Jesus Christ in our everyday efforts.”
Elder Ojediran concluded by sharing that “BYU–Pathway is truly a tool in the Lord’s hands. Let us continue to learn, grow and lift others on the covenant path.”
