The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the groundbreaking ceremonies for temples in Kumasi, Ghana, and Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town South Africa Temple
The Cape Town South Africa Temple groundbreaking will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Elder Carlos A. Godoy, Africa South Area President, will preside at the event.
The Cape Town Temple was first announced in April 2021 by President Nelson. On that occasion, the prophet taught about the importance of temples in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.
“Temples are a vital part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness,” he said. “Ordinances of the temple fill our lives with power and strength available in no other way.”
Cape Town South Africa Temple Rendering Image
Cape Town South Africa Temple Rendering© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The Cape Town South Africa Temple will be located at 3 Liesbeek Avenue, Observatory, in Cape Town. This will be a single-story, 9,500 square-foot temple built on a 3.8-acre site. A meetinghouse and arrival center will accompany the temple.
In 1852 Brigham Young called three missionaries to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in the Cape of Good Hope. Over the next three years, they established six branches in and around Cape Town.
The Church membership in South Africa has grown to more than 74,000 members in nearly 200 congregations. This will be the third house of the Lord in South Africa.
Kumasi Ghana Temple
Groundbreaking services for the Kumasi Ghana Temple will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025. Elder Isaac K. Morrison, Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, will preside at the event.
The Kumasi temple was first announced by President Russell M. Nelson in April 2021. Ghana’s first temple, the Accra Ghana Temple, was dedicated in 2004.
Kumasi Ghana Temple Rendering Image
Kumasi Ghana Temple Rendering© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The Kumasi temple will be built on a 2.08-acre site located at Y11 Suntreso Rd, Bantama, Kumasi. Plans call for a two-story temple of approximately 22,750 square feet, including an arrival center and accompanying an existing meetinghouse.
The restored gospel was initially introduced to Ghana in the 1960s, when Ghanaians petitioned the Church to send missionaries after discovering literature about the Church. The first missionaries in Ghana arrived in 1978. Today, Ghana is home to more than 113,000 Latter-day Saints in over 375 congregations.
Latter-day Saints worship in temples for several reasons: To feel God’s love and peace, to learn more about God’s plan for His children and the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make promises with God and with one’s husband or wife, and to unite families in this life and the next through sacred ordinances.