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.
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. An artist’s rendering has not yet been released.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
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.
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.
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.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
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 [God's] power and strength available in no other way.”
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.
Site Is Announced for Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also announced the location of the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple. This will be the first house of the Lord in Mongolia. An artist’s rendering has also been released.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The new temple will be located on almost 11 acres in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar at Naadamchid Road, Khan Uul, 8 Khoroo.
Plans call for a single-story temple about 18,850 square feet in size. A patron housing facility and a meetinghouse will also be constructed on the site. The groundbreaking date is still to come.
President Nelson announced the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple in October 2023.
More than 12,500 Latter-day Saints reside in Mongolia and participate in almost 25 congregations.
Senior missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ arrived in Ulaanbaatar in 1992. They started teaching university and high school classes, as well as holding private meetings to instruct those interested in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The first congregation was organized in January 1994.
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ from meetinghouses or chapels, where members and friends of the Church meet for Sunday worship services. Each temple is considered a house of the Lord, where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed so that families can be united for eternity. In the temple, Church members can seek peace and guidance, learn more about the purpose of life, make covenants to Jesus Christ and serve their fellow men and women.