‘They Just Need the Opportunity’: Church Education Blesses Lives in West Africa

In 2011, a small group of students in Accra gathered around a single computer as BYU–Pathway began taking root in Ghana and was the first Pathway cohort outside of the United States. Today, a new Global Education Center (GEC) in Accra is under construction and will house more than 100 computers — a stark contrast that illustrates a dramatic expansion of Church education across West Africa.

During a visit in late August 2026 to Ghana and Sierra Leone, countries in the Church’s Africa West Area, Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited the upcoming GEC while also visiting with members, leaders, students and educators.

“These students are capable. They can do amazing things. They just need the opportunity,” Elder Gilbert said. “President Brian K. Ashton at BYU–Pathway often says talent around the world is equally distributed, but opportunities are not. And BYU–Pathway is infusing opportunities into the lives of these students.”

GECs provide students with technology, study space and career-development resources that support Church educational programs.

The growth in Church education in West Africa has been significant. What began with a small group of students in Ghana has spread throughout the region. In 2025, BYU–Pathway served more than 27,000 students in the Africa West Area, with enrollment increasing 22% between August 2025 and August 2026. Nigeria enrolled just over 20,000 students — surpassing the United States as the country with the most students — and Ghana had nearly 5,000, and Sierra Leone had more than 1,300.

Numbers will begin to grow in Senegal and The Gambia as this year BYU–Pathway courses are now officially offered in these two West African nations.

“Members of the Church in The Gambia have prayed for years for the blessings of a “School in Zion” to be extended to them,” said Francis Adjei, BYU–Pathway Manager for the Church’s Africa West Area. “We are confident that BYU–Pathway will change many lives in this country.” 

Church education efforts in West Africa extend beyond BYU–Pathway. Elder Gilbert noted that nearly 50,000 youth in the area are currently participating in the Church’s Succeed in School program, which helps them strengthen their academic skills and prepare for future educational opportunities.

“They learn from an early age that when you involve the Lord in your learning, He’ll take you to places you could never go by yourself,” Elder Gilbert said.

Elder Gilbert and his wife, Christine, visited a Succeed in School class during their visit to Sierra Leone, where they met Ishmael Conteh, a blind young man who participates in the program.

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“We were so inspired by Ishmael. Not only has he shown grit and determination as a student in the Succeed in School program, but he carries a grateful heart for the Lord and His Church for providing him these educational opportunities,” the Apostle said.

This after-school program will develop young people, and many will add to BYU–Pathway’s inspired growth.

“Today we have thousands of students who earned their degrees and have jobs here in West Africa, and we didn't know any of that [when we started],” said Elder Gilbert. “It's not like we had this vision and then it just had to be realized. The Lord had a vision, and we had to catch up to the Lord.”

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Benjamin Ahialorxo: “BYU–Pathway Transformed Me”

Many of those capitalizing on these educational opportunities are first-generation university students leading the way for future generations. For students like Benjamin Ahialorxo of Ghana, education opened doors that once seemed out of reach.

Ahialorxo never attended senior high school and moved to Accra in search of better opportunities. He worked multiple jobs to support himself, including security work. It wasn’t enough — but it was something.

“It is better to do two or three jobs than to have no job. [Without that], you’re gonna die, literally,” he said.

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“There wasn’t any hope for the future,” he continued. “I couldn’t foresee anything that I am becoming because in Africa or in Ghana, there’s a saying that education is the key to success. And I didn’t have that key because I didn’t get that education.”

After joining the Church and learning about BYU–Pathway Worldwide, Ahialorxo listened to spiritual impressions and enrolled.

“The voice of the Lord said, ‘Benjamin, I am with you and everything will be fine,’” he said. “BYU–Pathway transformed me from raw material, which is nothing, and turned me into something that is useful.”

Today, Ahialorxo works remotely as a talent support specialist, helping connect BYU–Pathway students with employment opportunities.

“The Lord wants all of us to learn and become like Him,” Ahialorxo said. “He wants us to be educated so He can use us to do His work.”

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Belinda Van-Addo: “The Lord Wanted Me to Study”

For Belinda Van-Addo of Ghana, education brought more than career opportunities. It deepened her understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and helped shape the course of her life.

Van-Addo learned about PathwayConnect (a one-year online higher-education program) in 2021. Her future husband introduced her to the program, and she said she was struck by the Church’s commitment to education. “I was very impressed about the fact that there is a church that is not just interested in the spiritual growth of their members, but also the educational,” she said.

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As she participated in the program, Van-Addo said she began to see how important education is to God.

“It made me really understand that it was a commandment. The Lord wanted me to study, and He has made the opportunities available for me,” she said. “Joseph Smith helped us understand that everything we learn here today is definitely going to go with us. So I do not even see education as temporary. It’s a religious responsibility, as President Russell M. Nelson would say.”

Van-Addo later joined the Church and served a mission in Côte d’Ivoire, an experience she said strengthened both her understanding of the gospel and her relationship with God.

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Today, Van-Addo works remotely. She said the principles she learned through Church education continue to influence her career, family and service in the Church.

“The principles I’ve learned through BYU–Pathway, the work environment I find myself in — it’s really helping me become that disciple of Jesus Christ that the Lord wants me to be,” she said.

Brenda Epeyon: “I See Myself Opening a Company”

Church education has also influenced families across Africa.

Brenda Epeyon, a BYU–Pathway student from Kenya, said the skills she has gained through the program have helped her professionally while also giving her greater flexibility at home. Through BYU–Pathway, she developed skills in time management, technology and business management and later obtained a remote job with a U.S.-based company.

“My life has become way better since I started BYU, and working from home as well, which is a blessing from BYU–Pathway,” she said. “I have more time to spend with my kids, see them grow, and also to nurture them to become who they want to be in the future.”

Looking ahead, Epeyon said she hopes to use what she has learned to serve others.

“I see myself opening a company, managing it, and being able to employ so many other people to change their lives as well,” she said.

Creating Leaders in the Home, the Church, and the Community

The impact of the Church’s emphasis on education extends beyond academics and employment.

Victor Ukorebi, senior international area manager for BYU–Pathway Worldwide in Africa, said the program helps students become leaders in their homes, congregations and communities.

“Our mission is to build true disciples of Jesus Christ,” Ukorebi said. “Disciples that can lead in their homes. Disciples that can be trusted to lead in their congregations or in their communities.”

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Across Africa, a third of bishopric and branch presidency members and more than half of stake and district presidency members have participated in BYU–Pathway.

Ukorebi said employers often recognize a difference in BYU–Pathway students because of the spiritual principles taught alongside academic coursework.

“They employ one, and they see what he has done, and they’re asking him, ‘Do you have more people like you?’” he said. “The people in Africa love education, and more so education that is spiritually based. They [enroll in BYU–Pathway] in an attempt to study. And they discover the gospel and they find the Savior.”

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Among BYU–Pathway students in the Africa West Area who reported employment information, 49% work for local companies, 30% hold hybrid or remote jobs and 21% are entrepreneurs.

“In Africa, they say the greatest gift you can give anyone, apart from the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, is the blessing of education,” said Ukorebi.

Fusing Spiritual and Professional Growth

That spiritual focus is reflected in facilities such as the soon-to-be Accra GEC.

Located near the Accra Ghana Temple, the center provides students with access to technology, study space, institute classes and employment resources. For students like Ahialorxo, Van-Addo and Epeyon, facilities such as the Accra GEC will provide resources and opportunities that can otherwise be difficult to access.

“Early on, we had prophetic counsel to build these gathering places where they would be close to a temple,” Elder Gilbert said. “To look out the windows and see the Accra Ghana Temple was just inspiring. And to realize the students can go study, work in their job, go to institute, and then just walk down the street and walk into the temple — that was amazing.”

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He hopes those who see its global education centers will see a commitment to both education and discipleship.

“They’ll see the Church is committed to education, but they’ll also see that we are building this around the Savior Jesus Christ and that their spiritual growth is part of their professional growth,” he said.

Elder Gilbert emphasized that Succeed in School, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, PathwayConnect and BYU–Pathway are part of a unified educational effort that helps young people prepare academically, spiritually and professionally.

“It’s one work,” the Apostle said. “And all of these educational efforts ultimately point people to the Savior Jesus Christ.”

Reflecting on the miraculous growth of educational opportunities across West Africa, Elder Gilbert said the blessings extend far beyond classrooms and careers.

“The Lord is coming again, and He’s hastening His work,” he said. “And one of the ways He is preparing His people is through education.”