On Saturday, October 18, 2025, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Kumasi Ghana Temple, marking the beginning of construction on the country’s second house of the Lord of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Isaac K. Morrison, Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, presided at the event, offering a dedicatory prayer on the site.
“May this day be a spiritual groundbreaking for each of us gathered, marking a renewed dedication to Thy gospel,” he said. “Help us draw nearer to Thee and prepare ourselves to enter Thy Holy house worthily.”
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Elder and Sister Morrison, along with local traditional leaders, break ground for the Kumasi Ghana Temple on 18 October, 2025.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Kumasi Ghana Temple
President Russell M. Nelson announced the Kumasi Ghana Temple during the April 2021 general conference. On May 1, 2023, the Church announced the location for the temple site: a 2.08-acre parcel adjacent to the Bantama meetinghouse situated at Y11 Suntreso Road. Plans call for a two-story building of approximately 22,750 square feet and the construction of a new arrival center.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
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The Groundbreaking Ceremony
Gloria Akosua Ofori, a young adult from the Kumasi Ghana Bantama Stake, testified that temple worship is central to her faith as it increases her understanding of Jesus Christ and provides spiritual strength through covenant keeping. She related how the temple has taught her patience, and how frequent temple attendance provides divine protection, power, and the full range of God’s blessings—making it a beacon of hope.
Harry Kyereh Sarpong then spoke of the growth of the church in Kumasi since the early days when he was called to the branch presidency of the first branch organized in Kumasi. His remarks focused on how making covenants in the temple help Latter-day Saints to “think celestial,” as taught by President Nelson.
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- Brother-Nana-Ankoma-Pepera,-center,-a-member-of-The-Church-and-a-traditional-leader,-listens-to-speakers-during-the-groundbreaking-program-on-18-October,-2025.
- McFlint-Boateng-Kuman-speaks-of-how-the-temple-has-blessed-his-family-on-18-October,-2025.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
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In his remarks Elder Morrison noted that the groundbreaking is a symbolic act of breaking the earth to provide a solid foundation and firm base for the house of the Lord.
“We must prepare ourselves with a broken heart and contrite spirit turning the soil of our lives and putting God first, in fact letting Him prevail in our lives,” he said.
The Church in Ghana
Download PhotoThe Church has had a presence in Ghana since the 1960s, but it wasn’t until 1978 that missionaries first arrived in the country. Since then, the Church has grown rapidly. Ghana is home to over 113,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 390 congregations. For years, members throughout Ghana and neighboring countries have traveled to the Accra Ghana Temple, the only operating temple in the country. The Kumasi Ghana Temple will provide closer access for many Saints in northern Ghana and surrounding nations. A third temple for Ghana, the Cape Coast Ghana Temple, announced by President Nelson at the October 2023 General Conference, will serve members in the southern part of Ghana and the broader Africa West Area.
Latter-day Saints consider each temple a house of the Lord and the most sacred place of worship on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.