News Release

Latter-day Saint Leaders Meet Ghana President-Elect

Elder Marcus B. Nash, First Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency—a senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in West Africa, and Elder Vern P. Stanfill, Second Counselor in the Area Presidency, presented President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo a letter from the Church’s First Presidency congratulating him on his recent election.

 

They also presented him with a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christus statue.

Nana Akufo-Addo will be inaugurated president of the Republic of Ghana on January 7, 2017.

The President-elect expressed his appreciation and extended his compliments to the First Presidency of the Church and to Latter-day Saints living in Ghana. He first became aware of The Church of Jesus Christ from the late Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey a friend of the Church and former party chairman of the New Patriotic Party, who passed away in March.

“We are aware of your church building and the beautiful temple on Independence Avenue,” he said. Akufo-Addo thanked the visitors for the good works the Church and its members do in Ghana.

Elder Nash and Elder Stanfill were accompanied by Elder John Attah Koranteng, Area Seventy (a local Church leader), and other Church representatives.

The group discussed humanitarian relief and other programs of the Church in Ghana. Elder Nash told the future president, “Our Church will continue to do good works and relieve suffering in Ghana and throughout West Africa. We teach principles that help people improve from the inside out.”

Elder Nash and Elder Stanfill extended the invitation for Mr. Akufo-Addo to visit Church headquarters.  Nana Akufo-Addo was aware the Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City.

“Utah is one of the few places in the U.S. I have not been. I hope to visit there someday,” he said.

President-elect Akufo-Addo expressed a desire to meet again in a more intimate setting. 

There are 72,369 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 276 congregations in Ghana. The Accra Ghana Temple, dedicated on January 11, 2004, was the second temple built in Africa and the first built in Ghana. The first Missionary Training Center in Africa opened in Tema, Ghana—just east of Accra—in 2002.

          

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.