Pope appoints Fr Afoakwah as Obuasi Diocese Bishop

His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Father John Yaw Afoakwah as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Obuasi.

The news was released from the Apostolic Nunciature in Ghana by Most Rev. Jean Marie SPEICH, Apostolic Nuncio on Saturday November 22, 2014.

Who is Father Afoakwah?

Rev. Fr. John Yaw Afoakwah was born in Akrokerri, Adansi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, on 26th January 1955 from a religious Catholic family. Both parents are deceased. His father, Opanin Kwame Afoakwah dies when he was a child and his mother Anna Yaa Tabuah, when he was a deacon.

Fr. John Afoakwah started school at the age of five. In 1970 he completed his basic education and received his Middle School Leaving Certificate at the St. Peter’s Boys‘ School, Kumasi.

He proceeded to St. John’s Secondary School at Sekondi, in the Western Region of Ghana and obtained his Ordinary Level (O’ Level) in 1975. His passion for teaching made him study at the Wesley Teacher Training College and graduated with Certificate A in 1978.

He did his Advanced Level (A’ Level) studies in private. In 1983 he studied at the Collegio Mater Ecclesia, Castel Gandolfo of the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, Italy and obtained B.A. in Religious Education. He studied at the St. Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast and completed in 1992 with B.A. in Religion with Sociology from the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.

He obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PDGE) from the Cape Coast University, Cape Coast in 2004 and his Master of Science in Education at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y., U.S.A in 2010.

Fr. John Afoakwah was ordained a priest on 11th July 1992 at Adugyama, Ashanti, Ghana, Archdiocese of Kumasi. His first appointment after ordination was Chaplain and Teacher, Director of Guidance and Counselling at the St. Louis Training College, Kumasi now College of Education. He was at the same time the Director of the Catholic School of Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Kumasi.

In 1995 when the Diocese of Obuasi was carved out of Kumasi Archdiocese, he was incardinated to the Diocese of Obuasi. His assignments in the Diocese includes the following: from 1995 to 2007 he was a teacher of Religious and Moral Education, Guidance and Counselling at the Christ the King Catholic Secondary School, Diocesan Director of Catechetics, Diocesan Coordinator of Social Communication, and Diocesan Chaplain of Catholic Charismatic Renewal; 1996-2002 he was the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Church, Anyinam, Obuasi; 2004-2007 he was the Rector of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Akaporiso, Obuasi; and in 2007 to 2011, he was the Parochial Vicar of the Blessed Trinity Parish, Owego, Rochester Diocese, New York, U.S.A. He was the Rector of St. Louis Rectorate, Bodwesango, Chaplain, teacher and member of the Board of St. Louis Clinic, Bodwesango and Coordinator of Catechetics and Education until his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Obuasi.