Comboni Provincial Superior in DR Congo, Ivorian Priest, Appointed Bishops

Once ordained a Bishop, Mons. Ndjadi is expected to assist 64-year-old Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa in shepherding the people of God in the 150,123 square kilometer Metropolitan See with an estimated population of 959,340 Catholics, according to 2021 statistics. 

Established in August 1904 as the Apostolic Prefecture of Stanley Falls from the Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville, the Episcopal See was elevated to a Metropolitan in November 1959. 

Its Ecclesiastical province comprises eight Suffragan sees, including Bondo, Bunia, Buta, Doruma–Dungu, Isangi, Isiro–Niangara, Mahagi–Nioka, and Wamba.

In the May 13 administrative changes in Ivory Coast, Mons. Dakpa is expected to succeed Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogboho who was transferred to Korhogo Archdiocese in January 2021.

Born in July 1969 in the Archdiocese of Gagnoa, the Ivorian Bishop-elect was ordained a Priest for Gagnoa Archdiocese in December 1998 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at St. Cœur de Marie Major Seminary of Anyama.

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As a Priest, the holder of a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome has served in various capacities, including Curate in Gbagbam; Curate of St. Jean Baptiste in Lakota and facilitator at the Catechetical center of Gagno; and Curate of St. Jacques Cocody II Plateaux in Ivory Coast’s capital city, Abidjan.

He also served as Curate of St. Albert le Grand university Parish of Cocody, Vice Chaplain of students and Spiritual Director of the St. Paul VI University Seminary in Abidjan. 

Mons. Dakpa also served as Lecturer of Canon Law at the Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO/UUA) and member of the Commission for Legal Affairs and the Appeals Tribunals, as well as Director of the Institute of Canon Law of the UCAO/UUA.

Since 2016, the Ivorian Bishop-elect has been serving as judge of the first instance of the Diocesan Tribunal of San Pedro and Secretary General of the UCAO/UUA.

Once ordained Bishop, Mons. Dakpa is expected to shepherd the Ivorian Diocese, which has an estimated population of 107,187 Catholics representing 10.7 percent of the total population of the Diocese, according to 2021 statistics.

The 32,832 square-kilometer Diocese that was erected in September 1955 is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Korhogo.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.