West Africa’s Catholic Priests Commit to Learning Multiple Languages to Foster Regional Fraternity

By Agnes Aineah

Conakry, 18 June, 2026 / 11:45 pm (ACI Africa).

Members of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa (RUPWA/URPAO) have concluded their 12th Congress in the Republic of Guinea, expressing their commitment to adopt mechanisms that will foster collaboration and fraternity in the region that comprises 13 countries.

In a declaration that was shared with ACI Africa on Wednesday, June 17 following the  June 8–15 event that was held in Conakry, officials of RUPWA said that language learning and intercultural formation will be top among the strategies they establish to understand each other in the region where different languages, including English, French and Portuguese are spoken.

“We commit ourselves to strengthening fraternity and collaboration among priests throughout West Africa, to promoting the principles and practice of synodality at every level of ecclesial life, and to encouraging closer cooperation among the national unions of priests in the sub-region,” the RUPWA officials said.

They added, “To this end, we wish to establish mechanisms for regular exchanges among priests, seminarians, and pastoral workers from our different countries, and to promote language learning and intercultural formation, so that we may understand one another beyond French, English, and Portuguese.”

The officials said that sub-regional workshops and leadership formation programs will complete the framework they have adopted to encourage collaboration in the region.

Realized under the theme “From African Fraternity to a Synodal Church in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Missionary Leadership,” RUPWA’S conference brought together  50 participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo.

The event’s opening ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles of Sierra Leone’s Catholic Archdiocese of Freetown and head of Clergy affairs for the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA/CERAO). 

Also taking part in the ceremony was Archbishop François Sylla of the Archdiocese Conakry, other Church leaders and authorities of the Guinean State.

Apart from language learning and intercultural formation, RUPWA members also expressed a commitment to strengthening structures for the safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable adults within ecclesial and state institutions in their region.

The members pledged to encourage Priests to become artisans of peace, reconciliation, and social cohesion among themselves.

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They also expressed a commitment to fostering collaboration with the Bishops, Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), lay faithful, and civil society organizations in addressing “social and spiritual challenges of our time”.

The members engaged on various issues, including the role of the Priest in promoting unity, reconciliation, and peace in Africa, as well as the challenges of missionary leadership. 

They also examined intercultural and interreligious dialogue, Priestly fraternity, ongoing formation, and the accompaniment of young Priests, as well as safeguarding, accountability, and ethical leadership within the Church. 

Their exchanges addressed the social, political, and economic realities affecting the peoples of West Africa, and the Priest’s commitment to justice, peace, human dignity, and the integral development of the person.

RUPWA’s 12th Congress was also an opportunity for the Priests to elect their new Executive Board.

Elected to serve the RUPWA Board as President for the next four years, is Fr. Peter Konteh, a Priest of the Archdiocese of Freetown.

Fr. Konteh who previously served the RUPWA Board as Second Vice President will be assisted by Fr. Hubert Kèdewidé from Benin as First Vice-President and Fr. Lino Correa from Guinea-Bissau as Second Vice-President.

Fr. Roger Gomis from Senegal was elected the RUPWA Board's Secretary General, while Fr. Vincent de Paul Tarama from Burkina Faso was elected Deputy Secretary General for Communication. From Guinea Conakry, Fr. Clément Oularé was elected Treasurer of the RUPWA Board.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.