Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Temple Wiki

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.^[5]”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, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-temples-announced-abidjan-ivory-coast–cote-divoire-port-au-prince-haiti-bangkok-thailand.

In conjunction with the location announcement, the render for the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple was released 4 October 2018.^[7]”Groundbreaking Announced for Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 4 Oct. 2018,https://news-gh.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-announced-for-abidjan-cote-divoire-temple.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Temple was held Thursday, 8 November 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.^[9]”Groundbreaking Announced for Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 4 Oct. 2018,https://news-gh.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-announced-for-abidjan-cote-divoire-temple. 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.”^[10]Taylor, Scott. “These Are the Highlights of the Ivory Coast Temple Groundbreaking, https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2018-11-08/these-are-the-highlights-of-the-ivory-coast-temple-groundbreaking-156100.” 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.

Close to 17,000 people visited the temple during the open house, with the largest turnout — roughly 2,500, including some local officials and dignitaries — coming on the last day.[reff]Taylor, Scott. “Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple Opens for Media and Public Tours.” Church News, 1 May 2025, www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2025/04/28/abidjan-ivory-coast-temple-media-day-interior-exterior-photographs.[/ref]^[12]Toone, Trent. “Elder Rasband Dedicates the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple.” Church News, 31 July 2025, www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2025/05/25/elder-ronald-rasband-dedicates-abidjan-ivory-coast-temple-gathering-oasis.

The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple, the first in the country, was dedicated 25 May 2025, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The single dedicatory session was conducted in French, with speakers delivering messages in both French and English, with translations offered.^[13]Toone, Trent. “Elder Rasband Dedicates the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple.” Church News, 29 May 2025, www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2025/05/25/elder-ronald-rasband-dedicates-abidjan-ivory-coast-temple-gathering-oasis.

The session was broadcast to all units in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal — as well as two branches in the Gambia. At the time of dedication, the house of the Lord served members in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Western Sahara.

Elder Rasband was accompanied at the dedicatory services by his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband. They were joined by Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy and assistant director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan A. Bangerter; and Elder Alfred Kyungu, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Africa West Area, and his wife, Sister Lucie Kyungu.

The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple is on the 3.23-acre site of the stake center for the Cocody Cote I’voire Stake in the commune of Cocody, known for its beautiful residential districts.

Site

Also located on the site are a Stake Center, and a Distribution Center. Shrubs, trees and red flowers grow around the temple grounds.

The temple is a single story above ground with a partially exposed basement story of about 17,360 square feet.

Cladding

The Exterior of the temple is Painted hand-troweled stucco over Concrete block walls.

Windows

The windows in the temple are frosted glass with etched geometric patterns.

Above the front of the building is a central spire with a rectangular base.

The spire is a pyramid shaped structure sits atop a tall square shaped tower. The spire is coated in zinc cladding.

On 15 April 2021 an Angel Moroni statue was placed atop the spire of the Abidjan Côte d’IvoireTemple. The statue is a fiberglass replica of Karl Quilter’s 1982 7 foot statue. Unlike every other statue on a temple to date, the Abidjan Statue is silver rather than gold. Sources have indicated that the statue is leafed in Palladium, which is a little thicker than Gold leaf, and likely to last longer.^[14]Interview with Private Source, Marvin Quist, 25 January 2022

By the time the temple was dedicated, the leaf had darkened to a color similar to a dark antique bronze, more closely in hue to the zinc spire.

Location

The Inscription is on an inset panel above the entry doors. It is on the north face of the temple, facing North.

It is French text, engraved into the stucco exterior.

text

Plans and renderings of the Abidjan temple call for a one-story rectangular building.

The temple’s color scheme is a calming combination of blues, greens and purples, with the touches of magenta accents said to represent the vibrancy of the Abidjan community.

The designs and motifs feature the patterns and designs of local Indigenous people, the local culture and the building’s mid-century modern style. They include simple geometric shapes in repeated patterns; clean, angular lines; and textures created by repeated vertical, angled lines in a style known as raking.

The flooring has stone sourced from Spain and Brazil as well as modular carpet tiles, walk-off tiles and nylon rugs, the last of which in the entry, celestial room, bride’s room and sealing rooms. The art-glass design features motifs based on local tribal designs, and the doors, doorframes and millwork are made of sapele mahogany native to Africa.

Entry & Waiting

The baptistry of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple is in the basement story on the east side. The partially exposed windows sit directly adjacent to the exterior stairway for the font.

text

The Celestial Room of the temple is located in the back center (south side) of the temple.