Elder Christofferson Ministers to Saints, Missionaries and Leaders of the Africa West Area

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Africa West Area recently welcomed an Apostle of Jesus Christ into their midst, along with two other general authorities. Ministering to the saints in this area were Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife, Kathy; Elder Michael T. Ringwood from the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Rosalie; and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric and his wife, Carol. Their 12-day ministry, from February 13-25, 2025, included stops in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire).

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Upon their arrival in Lagos, Nigeria, the visiting authorities were met by the Africa West Area Presidency and their wives, who welcomed them and accompanied them during their tour throughout the area. The first order of business was a meeting with Nigerian Priesthood leaders from across the country, including leadership from 77 stakes, 15 districts, 11 coordinating councils, as well as 11 mission presidents and one temple president. There, local leaders received counsel and instruction regarding their roles as Christ’s representatives and ministering authorities in their areas of stewardship.

After travelling to Uyo, Nigeria, the leaders spoke to members of two stakes in special stake conferences —with Elder Christofferson and Elder Alfred Kyungu, Africa West Area President, attending one of the stake conferences, and Elder Ringwood and Bishop Waddell attending the other. The sabbath culminated with the Church leaders participating in a devotional for the 429 missionaries serving in the Nigeria Uyo, Calabar and Aba missions.

The beginning of the next week found them in Accra, Ghana, where Elders Christofferson and Ringwood, along with Bishop Waddell, conducted an area review with the Africa West Area Presidency and leaders.  While that meeting took place, Sisters Ringwood and Waddell went to the Ghana National Mosque and visited with the Imam there, furthering the already strong relationship the Church has with the Islamic community and Muslim leadership in Ghana.

The next day started with a devotional for area employees and senior missionaries serving in the area office. In a subsequent meeting, Bishop Waddell visited a local hospital which had recently had a maternity wing renovated and had received a donation of equipment from the Church. An afternoon endowment session in the Ghana Accra Temple afforded the busy visitors with an opportunity to be still for a moment, recharge and listen to inspiration from the Lord.

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Mid-week brought together 322 missionaries from the Ghana Accra East, North, and West Missions to attend a devotional with Elders Christofferson and Ringwood and Bishop Waddell. Later, there was an opportunity for the King of Accra, His Royal Majesty King Tackie Tieko Tsuru II, to meet with Elders Christofferson and Ringwood to talk about projects the Church has participated in and continues to be involved with for and in behalf of the people of Accra and others in the extended region. The meeting bolstered the established friendship between the Church and the King. 

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, Elders Christofferson and Ringwood met with His Excellency Julius Maada Wonie Bio, president of Sierra Leone, and his wife, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio. As with the King of Accra, the Church has an established friendship with the First Lady of Sierra Leone, and this visit by Elder Christofferson was acknowledged by the First Lady as an opportunity for them to repay the kind and generous hospitality she received on her previous visit to Salt Lake City. As well as a discussion of projects in which both Church and State have collaborated, Elder Christofferson spent time with the First Lady discussing the upcoming Strengthening Families Conference to be held in June of 2025.

Prior to leaving Sierra Leone, Elders Christofferson and Ringwood, along with their wives, greeted the 241 missionaries of the Sierra Leone Freetown and Bo missions during a morning devotional, after which they caught a flight to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where the Church will dedicate its third temple in the Africa West Area on May 25, 2025.

In Abidjan, the visiting General Authorities conducted an instruction meeting similar to the one in Lagos, Nigeria, but this time with the leaders of 28 stakes, 13 districts, five coordinating councils, and with three Area Seventies and four mission presidents in Côte d'Ivoire. The second half of the day was dedicated to a devotional for the 361 missionaries of the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan East, North and West missions.

The final leg of their ministering journey brought the leaders and their wives back to Accra, Ghana. Elder Ringwood and Elder Isaac Morrison, second counsellor in the Area West Presidency, met with a local ward for their sacrament meeting, while Elders Christofferson and Kyungu attended a special stake conference in another area of Accra. Their sabbath activities concluded with them conducting the final meeting of their tour, a leadership instruction meeting in which leaders in Ghana from 48 stakes, 15 districts, nine coordinating councils, along with nine Area Seventies, four mission presidents and one temple president received counsel from the Lord through His ordained servants.