BYU-Pathway Worldwide Holds Completion Ceremony in Ghana

A spirit of joy and achievement filled the Ashaiman Ghana Stake Center on Saturday, July 19, 2025, as students, members, families, and Church leaders gathered to honor 144 students who completed the BYU-Pathway Worldwide foundational program, PathwayConnect.

Hosted by the Ashaiman Ghana Stake, the ceremony celebrated the students’ diligence and faith, marking not only their academic achievements but also their personal growth, increased confidence, and deepened discipleship.

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The BYU-Pathway program provides accessible and affordable higher education to students around the world. Along with providing academic learning, it also teaches principles of self-reliance based on the understanding that spiritual and temporal self-reliance are interconnected.  While developing practical skills to support themselves and their families, students also develop their faith in Jesus Christ.

Elder Adeyinka Ojediran, First Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, presided over the event and delivered inspired counsel to the graduates. He commended their perseverance and emphasized that education is both a temporal and spiritual pursuit in the Lord’s plan.

“You have not only acquired skills and knowledge,” Elder Ojediran said, “you have also grown in faith, discipline, and divine purpose. This is not the end, but the beginning of greater things.”

President Victor Ukorebi, Senior Manager for the Africa Region of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, encouraged students to move forward as “Leaders with integrity,” embodying gratitude, humility, and a teachable spirit (LIGHT). Brother Osmani Saed, International Area Director for BYU-Pathway Worldwide, reinforced the program’s mission, reminding graduates that they are being prepared to become “disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their churches, families, and communities.”

Elder Samuel Annan-Simons, Area Authority Seventy of the Accra East Coordinating Council, congratulated the graduates and expressed gratitude for the program’s transformative impact. Representatives from the Seminary and Institute of Religion and Jobberman, a recruitment organization, also addressed the graduates, testifying of how BYU-Pathway empowers Latter-day Saints across Ghana to become influential leaders.

Other distinguished attendees included President Jeffrey Botchway (Stake President, Teshie Ghana Stake & S&I Director), President Eric Owusu (Stake President, Ashaiman Ghana Stake), Bishop Francis Adjei Akporh (Africa West Area Manager, BYU-Pathway Worldwide), President Stephen Abu (Stake President, Tema Ghana Stake & President, HelpStart Educational Foundation), President Vincent Edem-Akabutu (First Counselor, Ashaiman Ghana Stake Presidency), and Elder & Sister Findlay, YSA Senior Missionaries serving in the Africa West Area.

The ceremony featured the Ghana National Anthem, a musical performance by the Ashaiman Ghana Stake Young Single Adult (YSA) choir, and the presentation of certificates to each graduate. Sister Maame Efua K. Zwennes, the valedictorian, described PathwayConnect as a life-changing experience.

“PathwayConnect is not just a school program,” she said. “It is an invitation to change—not only academically, but spiritually… 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.”

For many in attendance, the event was more than a graduation—it was a testament to God’s love, the blessings of continued revelation, and the power of education in building Zion.

“BYU-Pathway is truly a tool in the Lord’s hands,” Elder Ojediran declared. “Let us continue to learn, grow, and lift others on the covenant path.”