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Groundbreaking ceremonies have been scheduled for two new temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa. The First Presidency announced that the Kumasi Ghana Temple and the Cape Town South Africa Temple will each hold their respective groundbreakings in October 2025.
The Kumasi Ghana Temple’s groundbreaking is set for Saturday, October 18, 2025. Elder Isaac K. Morrison, Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, will preside at the event. An artist’s rendering of this temple has not yet been released.
The Kumasi temple was first announced by President Russell M. Nelson in April 2021. Ghana’s first temple, located in Accra, was dedicated in 2004. The Church’s presence in Ghana began after Ghanaians discovered literature about the faith and requested missionaries; they arrived in 1978. Currently, there are more than 113,000 members across over 375 congregations throughout the country.
For South Africa, the Cape Town South Africa Temple groundbreaking is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025. Elder Carlos A. Godoy, who serves as President of the Africa South Area, will preside at this ceremony.
President Nelson also announced the Cape Town Temple in April 2021 and spoke about its significance: “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 [God's] power and strength available in no other way.”
Missionary work began early on in South Africa when Brigham Young sent three missionaries to preach near Cape Town in 1852; six branches were established within three years. Today there are more than 74,000 Latter-day Saints meeting across nearly 200 congregations nationwide. This upcoming building will be South Africa’s third temple.
Additionally, The Church has announced plans for its first temple in Mongolia by revealing both its location and an artist’s rendering for Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple. The site will occupy almost eleven acres on Naadamchid Road in Ulaanbaatar’s Khan Uul district (8 Khoroo). Plans include a single-story structure measuring approximately 18,850 square feet along with a patron housing facility and meetinghouse on-site; however, a date for groundbreaking has not yet been determined.
President Nelson made public plans for this Mongolian temple during October General Conference last year. There are currently more than 12,500 Latter-day Saints worshipping across almost twenty-five congregations within Mongolia.
Senior missionaries from The Church arrived to teach university and high school courses as well as conduct private religious meetings starting from their arrival to Ulaanbaatar back in 1992; Mongolia’s first congregation formed by January of 1994.
According to church teachings and practice guidelines about temples, these buildings differ from regular meetinghouses or chapels used for weekly services: temples are considered houses of God where core teachings are reaffirmed so families may unite eternally; inside these spaces members seek peace and guidance while making sacred covenants and serving others.
