Access to BYU-Pathway Worldwide is now available in Senegal, creating new opportunities for people seeking affordable, flexible online higher education rooted in faith. The approval also represents an important milestone for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Senegal, where membership has grown to more than 400 in just over a decade.
On June 15, 2026, Todd Miner, vice president of Global Engagement and Operations at BYU-Pathway, and his wife, Andrea, officially launched BYU-Pathway at a devotional in Dakar. They were joined by BYU-Pathway Senior Area Manager Victor Ukorebi, Francis Akporh, BYU-Pathway area manager, and Joseph Poda, region director of Seminaries and Institutes) of Religion.
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What's Now Available
Members and friends of the Church in Senegal can now enroll in two programs:
EnglishConnect 3 – An intermediate English course that provides language skills crucial for broader educational and professional opportunities, particularly important in francophone Senegal.
Online degree programs through BYU-Pathway Worldwide – Students begin their degree with foundation courses (PathwayConnect) that combine spiritual learning with academic preparation and practical skills training, setting them on a clear path toward degree completion.
Education as Religious Responsibility
Todd Miner focused on the doctrine of education and opened his devotional message by reminding members of their commitment to build Zion while becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. Drawing from his experience as a mission president in Cameroon, he shared how he witnessed the program transform returning missionaries into committed, capable leaders.
Drawing from President Russell M. Nelson's counsel, he emphasized that education is a religious responsibility—a charge to prepare God's children to be lifelong disciples and build Zion wherever they are. He told members that education through BYU-Pathway aims to provide them with the same skills, resources, and abilities available on campuses in Utah and Idaho, right in Senegal. In meetings with local education officials, he emphasized that educating God's children to be lifelong disciples and to build Zion in their own countries is fundamentally spiritual work.
Joseph Poda reinforced this principle in his address, grounding it in Doctrine and Covenants 88:118, where Joseph Smith received counsel to seek knowledge "by study and also by faith."
"[BYU-Pathway] combines both," Joseph Poda explained. "By following this approach, we learn not only the sciences of the world but also the science and will of God."
He emphasized that active participation in institute and BYU-Pathway courses is an opportunity to learn in the Lord's way—a blessing that goes beyond conventional education.
Francis Akporh and Victor Ukorebi walked attendees through the practical details of the enrollment and registration, answering questions about how members and friends of the Church could get started.
A District's Growth
Senegal has one district—the country's first and only—created on February 13, 2022. It currently includes six branches and 403 members. While those numbers might seem modest, they represent remarkable growth for a country where, just 12 years ago, there were only two members.
The district president, Essan Jacque Niambé, expressed genuine excitement about the approval of BYU-Pathway, particularly given how long members had waited. "I know it is for a righteous reason that the Lord decided this should happen at this time and in this year," he said. "We are so blessed to have our own mission in Senegal at the same time as BYU-Pathway. I know God has a plan for each of us here."
In 2014, after several American families left Senegal, Ben Faour, a French businessman, and Chung Hung "James" Chen, a Taiwanese fisherman, were the sole Church members in the country. Rather than let the Church presence dissolve as it had in previous years, they began teaching their neighbors. The Niambé and Samadé families from Côte d'Ivoire soon joined them, establishing the first permanent Church presence in Senegal.
The first branch was organized in 2016, and missionaries arrived. A second branch followed less than two years later. By May 2018, when Elders Neil L. Andersen and Ulisses Soares, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, visited, more than 120 members and friends attended the service.
Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated Senegal for the preaching of the gospel on May 22, 2017.
Leadership Training and Local Impact
Following the devotional, Todd Miner and his team conducted leadership training with district and branch leaders. The focus was practical: how to use these educational programs to develop members who can lead effectively in their homes, congregations, and communities.
The training reflected Brother Miner's broader vision—that BYU-Pathway isn't just about individual achievement, but about equipping local members to serve and lead where they are. His experience in Cameroon had shown him what was possible when members gained both spiritual depth and practical skills.
Building Self-Reliance
The addition of BYU-Pathway addresses a real need. Members in Senegal, like many in developing nations, often face limited access to higher education and the economic opportunities that come with it. These programs offer a pathway to develop skills, earn credentials, and increase self-reliance.
But leaders emphasized that the purpose of BYU-Pathway extends beyond employment and credentials. The spiritually based education seeks to help students become capable, self-reliant disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities. It’s an approach that integrates temporal and spiritual development, recognizing that true self-reliance includes both the ability to provide for oneself and the capacity to serve others.
For a church community that began with two people determined to keep the faith alive in their adopted country, access to educational programs represents another step in establishing lasting roots. As Brother Poda reminded the congregation, they are now positioned to learn both the sciences of the world and the will of God—equipped to build Zion in Senegal with the same tools available to members anywhere in the world.
With approval now in place, members and friends of the Church in Senegal can begin a new chapter of educational and spiritual growth through BYU-Pathway Worldwide.