Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Temple Wiki

Description

Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is home to approximately 20 million people including more than 22,000 Church members. The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple will be the first in the country, where missionary work officially began in 1988. Church members in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s second most populous city, currently attend temple services in Accra, Ghana, which is a 12-hour drive.^[1]”New Temples Announced: Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire); Port Au Prince, Haiti; Bangkok, Thailand,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 5 Apr. 2015.

History

Over the past few years, Church membership growth in Côte d’Ivoire has been among the highest in the world. The number of members and congregations has multiplied in this West African nation where twelve stakes and thirteen districts operate. Eleven of the twelve stakes are headquartered in the greater Abidjan region. In 2012, three of the five stakes in Côte d’Ivoire were among the top 25 in the Church in the percentage of adults submitting family names for temple ordinances.

Announcement

On April 5, 2015, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of Ivory Coast’s first temple during the Sunday Morning Session of the 185th Annual General Conference. The temple was announced concurrently with the Port-au-Prince Haiti and Bangkok Thailand Temples.^[2]”New Temples Announced: Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire); Port Au Prince, Haiti; Bangkok, Thailand,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 5 Apr. 2015.

Location Announcement

Render Released

Groundbreaking Announcement

Groundbreaking

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Temple was held Thursday, November 8, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Attendance at the services was by invitation only, but the general public was able to view the proceedings live at local meetinghouses. The groundbreaking was performed by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.^[4]”Groundbreaking Announced for Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 4 Oct. 2018, 8 Oct. 2018 During the program he said “Let this be an example for us in our own lives. Let us devote ourselves during these months of construction to better shaping our character and souls to be ready to enter the dedicated temple. Let us be better husbands and wives, better children; let us be more true to following the Savior. … Let us be honest in our tithes and offerings. Let us be kind and generous to those around us. Let us pray with humility and real intent.”^[5]Taylor, Scott. “These Are the Highlights of the Ivory Coast Temple Groundbreaking.” Church News, 9 Aug. 2019.

Also attending and speaking were Daniel Kablan Duncan, the nation’s vice-president, and M. Mattias N’Gouan, major of Cocody.

Open House

Dedication

Details

Plans and renderings of the Abidjan temple call for a one-story rectangular building. Above the front of the building is a central spire with a rectangular base. Shrubs, trees and red flowers grow around the temple grounds.

Location

The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple is on the site of the stake center for the Cocody Cote I’voire Stake in the commune of Cocody, known for its beautiful residential districts. The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple will be the sixth temple built in Africa and the first built in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).

TEMPLES IN AFRICA _{by country}

Angola	1	Luanda
Cabo Verde	1	Praia
DRC	4	Kananga · Kinshasa · Lubumbashi · Mbuji-Mayi
Ghana	3	Accra · Cape Coast · Kumasi
Ivory Coast	1	Abidjan
Kenya	1	Nairobi
Liberia	1	Monrovia
Madagascar	1	Antananarivo
Mozambique	1	Beira · Maputo
Nigeria	5	Aba · Abuja · Benin City · Calabar · Eket · Lagos
ROC	1	Brazzaville
Sierra Leone	1	Freetown
South Africa	3	Cape Town · Durban · Johannesburg
Uganda	1	Kampala
United Arab Emirates	1	Dubai
Zimbabwe	1	Harare

Site

Also located on the site are a Stake Center, and a Distribution Center.

Exterior

Cladding

Windows

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

Spires and Finial

Spire

Finial

Interior

Entry/Waiting Area

Baptistry

Initiatory Spaces

Instruction Rooms

Sealing Rooms

Celestial Rooms

Contractors and Individuals

Project Manager

General Contractor

Architect

Additional Articles

Sources