ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — As Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles prepared to dedicate the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple, he was inspired by the vision of it serving as a “gathering oasis” in the hearts of members in west Africa’s Republic of Côte d‘Ivoire.
Referencing President Russell M. Nelson‘s 2018 landmark address, “Hope of Israel‚" which calls Latter-day Saint youth to join the Lord’s battalion in gathering Israel through missionary efforts and temple and family history work, Elder Rasband commended members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Ivory Coast for their exemplary faithfulness.
They are gathering through missionary work. In only a few decades, Church membership has surpassed 67,000 members, and the temple district includes 38 stakes across several west African countries.
The Saints are also actively gathering names for the temple. Since the dedication of the Accra Ghana Temple in 2004, Ivorian Saints have shown exceptional dedication to temple and family history work.
“Ivory Coast — Côte d‘Ivoire — is a gathering oasis," Elder Rasband said. “Of all the people I have been around in the world, they understand the gathering here.”
Elder Rasband dedicated the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple — the Church’s 205th operating house of the Lord and the country’s first — in one session on Sunday, May 25, one decade after it was announced in 2015.
The session was broadcast to all units in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal — as well as two branches in the Gambia.
The temple will serve members in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Western Sahara.
The dedicatory session was conducted in French, with speakers delivering messages in both French and English, with translations offered.
Elder Rasband was accompanied at the dedicatory services by his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband. They were joined by Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy and assistant director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan A. Bangerter; and Elder Alfred Kyungu, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Africa West Area, and his wife, Sister Lucie Kyungu.
Said Elder Kyungu: “This means a lot to our members. This temple is an answer to the prayers of faithful members from Cote d’Ivoire.” He explained that in addition to traveling long distances, it was sometimes challenging for French-speaking Saints to communicate when at the temple in Ghana, where English is the official language. “It’s a blessing. We are happy. We thank the Lord and also the living Prophet for bringing this blessing closer to our members here.”
Prophecies fulfilled
Scores of members, many dressed in colorful clothing, began arriving at the temple grounds more than two hours early to get a seat in the meetinghouse next to the temple. After arriving, Elder and Sister Rasband walked through the chapel, waving warm greetings to the Saints. He said he was honored to dedicate the Church’s 205th house of the Lord, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
“We’re jubilant, we’re excited, we’re thrilled,” Elder Rasband said. “The people in this country and in this new temple district have long awaited their own temple.”
In preparing the dedicatory prayer, he said he was inspired as he studied Doctrine and Covenants 109, which contains the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple — the Church’s first temple — offered by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1836.
Elder Rasband said the prophecies made by the Prophet Joseph Smith for the Kirtland Temple in Doctrine and Covenants 109 directly apply to the dedication of the Abidjan temple. He specifically mentioned verses 22 and 23, which promise the blessings of the temple will roll forth from Kirtland “unto the ends of the earth.”
“You are looking at the fulfillment of prophecy here. Here in Abidjan, and multiplied in locations all around the world, are manifestations of the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the Lord in the 109th section,” he said.
“I bear my testimony to you today that this is the work of the Lord, that temples are going to continue to be dedicated and built throughout the world, so that our wonderful members, like those here in Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere in this temple district, can enjoy the blessings of this temple like the early Saints.”
‘Best day of my life’
Outside the temple, 84-year-old Philippe Assard leaned on his cane while holding hands with his wife, Annelies Assard. The couple was one of two who first participated in Church meetings in 1986. With tears brimming, both expressed gratitude for the blessing of attending the Abidjan temple dedication.
“I’m very grateful,” Philippe Assard said. “The Lord has now given me everything. To see this temple and be here now, the Lord can now take me to the other side.”
Added Annelies Assard, “It’s wonderful. This is the best day of my life.”
A few steps away, Norbert K. Ounleu, a pioneer of the Church in Ivory Coast, greeted people with hugs and smiles as they arrived. The feelings in his heart were difficult to express, he said.
“It’s a reminder to me what good the Lord can do for all of us, and when we meet, it’s like we are in heaven.”
Sandy Newman, of Paris, France, traveled to the open house and dedication because her ancestors are from Ivory Coast.
“I’m touched because many of my family members are dead. They were members of this Church, and so I know today is from heaven. They are here with us. It’s so special for me to have a temple in my ancestors’ country. I’m overjoyed.”
Patrick Hunt, of Kaysville, Utah, served a mission in Abidjan from 1998 to 2000. He was one of many former missionaries who attended Sunday’s dedication and rejoiced in seeing old friends and companions.
“It’s kind of like a dream. I have dreamt of this place ever since I left,” he said. “To actually be back here, to see the growth of the Church, to see former companions and members, it’s incredible. I’m almost pinching myself to see if this is real.”
Hearts in the temple
Marcel Guei and his wife, Rosine Guei, served together as the temple open house coordinators for the Abidjan temple.
With one of their former missionaries acting as interpreter, the Gueis spoke in French about gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and joining the Church in 1999. Since then, many family members have followed them into the Church and they have each served in many leadership callings.
“The Church has transformed our lives,” Marcel Guei said. “So many blessings.”
Close to 17,000 people visited the temple during the open house, with the largest turnout — roughly 2,500, including some local officials and dignitaries — coming on the last day. Many were touched by the feelings of peace and warmth they felt in the temple, particularly the celestial room. Some asked if they could remain a little longer to offer prayers.
“We saw a lot of people who were not members of the Church bearing testimony of the Church,” he said. “The temple is a great blessing for the members here in Ivory Coast. And now the hearts of the members are here in the temple. It will become a gathering place and change the face of the country because the hand of the Lord will be on it.”
The tree of life
Elder Tonga J. Sai, an Area Seventy and former stake president in Abidjan, attended the dedication with his family. In 2004, he traveled with his pregnant wife and two young children, more than 600 kilometers (375 miles) by bus to be sealed in the Accra Ghana Temple.
“The trip took almost 15 hours because of border formalities and bad road conditions,” he said, noting that other trips have taken 24 hours due to bus breakdowns. “The temple of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is a relief and answer to our daily prayers in the sense that we will no longer have to travel hours and hours. Now we can go to the temple in peace and express our gratitude to God for this blessing.”
Elder Mathias N. Niambe, also an Area Seventy, was the first member of his family of 13 children to be baptized in 2005.
Over the years, Elder Niambe has served in various leadership callings, including bishop, stake presidency counselor and president of the Nigeria Lagos Mission. He and his wife served as temple workers in the Accra Ghana Temple from 2017 to 2024. Most of his family members are now faithful Latter-day Saints, including his mother, who was recently baptized in the Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast Stake.
“Today, my family and I feel safe and united in the Church,” he said.
The house of the Lord reminded Elder Niambe of 1 Nephi 11:22-23 in the Book of Mormon: “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. ... Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.”
Elder Niambe said: “The temple represents this tree of life for the Saints of Côte d’Ivoire — the most desirable thing. The tree that fills the soul with joy. It is a symbol of dedication, commitment, determination, perseverance, unity, hope, sacrifice, faith and devotion to the Lord.“
He added: “The Abidjan temple is the answer to the prayers of all the Saints in Côte d’Ivoire and Africa west. It is a real relief to have a temple nearby.”
‘A place of refuge’
President Didier G. Akochi, president of the Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Niangon South Stake, was 25 years old when he was taught the gospel by missionaries and baptized in 2008. His father, who didn’t live with the family, was strongly opposed to his son joining the Church. But the father’s heart softened, and their relationship found healing after he witnessed how years of living the gospel of Jesus Christ had influenced his son’s life.
President Akochi received his endowment and the very next day was sealed to his wife, Mambo Devoueu Joelle-Desirée, in the Accra Ghana Temple in 2011. Each year when their budget allowed it, they returned to the Accra temple to “renew our sacred covenants with our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
“For me and my family, the Abidjan temple represents the house of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, a place of refuge from the onslaughts of the world, the place where we go to perform sacred ordinances and associated covenants, to prepare ourselves to meet Jesus Christ and make a personal commitment to follow Him as a faithful disciple of Christ,” he said.
In 1998, President Hervé V. Kpolé of the Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Toit Rouge Stake, was introduced to the Church as a teenager by his cousin, Alain Demy, the first Latter-day Saint and returned missionary in their extended family. One of the missionaries who taught him the gospel was Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, who now serves as a General Authority Seventy and president of the Africa Central Area.
Kpolé said he felt “love, security and peace” and was baptized. His testimony was strengthened as he prepared for and served a mission in Nigeria. The gospel has been an “anchor and guide” to him and his wife, Désirée Djeneba Kone, also a returned missionary, while raising their family.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed our family,” he said. “We have learned to rely on the Savior during trials and rejoice in His blessings.
Kpolé and his family are “deeply grateful for this sacred moment in the history of our country and the Church in the West Africa Area,” he said.
“For us, it represents the presence of the Lord in our land and a sacred space where heaven touches earth. It will be a refuge for individuals and families seeking strength, revelation and eternal covenants. The joy we feel is beyond words.”
Kpolé continued: “For many who could not travel far, the blessings of the temple will now be within reach. It will truly become a spiritual lighthouse for all in West Africa, especially for the people of Ivory Coast.”
Priceless blessings
Elder D. Martin Goury, a General Authority Seventy from Ivory Coast who also served there as a mission president, echoed the words of past Church presidents who have said, “The blessings of the temple are priceless.”
“This house of the Lord stands as a beacon of faith for current and future generations. It is a fulfillment of quiet hopes, earnest prayers and enduring faith,” he wrote in an email to the Church News.
“I am deeply and profoundly grateful for the marvelous blessing of having a temple in Côte d’Ivoire. It is my heartfelt prayer that the Saints will honor this sacred gift by taking their family names to the temple and keeping it reverently occupied in performing ordinances on behalf of those who have passed beyond the veil. May it be a house of miracles, healing and eternal joy for generations to come. I testify that the temple is indeed the House of the Lord — a place of holiness, peace and divine power."
Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple
Location: Ilot 118 Riviera Attoban, Bonoumin, Cocody, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Announced: April 5, 2015, by President Thomas S. Monson.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 8, 2018, presided over by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Dedicated: May 25, 2025, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Property size: 3.23 acres
Building size: About 17,362 square feet (1,612.96 square meters)
Building height: About 85 feet (25.83 meters)
