Vatican City — The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Jacques Assanvo Ahiwa, until now apostolic administrator of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bouaké, Cote d'Ivoire, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese.
Archbishop-elect Jacque Assanvo Ahiwa was born on 6 January 1969 in Kuindjabo, in the district of Aboisso, diocese of Grand-Bassam. After completing his formation at the major seminary of Bouaké and the Saint Coeur de Marie Major Seminary of Anyama, he was ordained a priest on 13 December 1997 for the diocese of Grand Bassam.
After ordination, he held the offices of parish vicar of Saint François Xavier, Aboisso (1997-1998), secretary general of the diocese of Grand Bassam and diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (1998-2002). He was awarded a master's degree in biblical theology from the Université Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (2002-2004) and a doctorate in biblical theology in Strasbourg (2004-2011), and went on to serve as vicar general of Grand Bassam (2011-2018), and maître de conférences at the University of Strasbourg (2018-2020).
On 5 May 2020 he was elected titular bishop of Elephantaria in Mauretania and auxiliary of Bouaké; he received episcopal consecration the following 3 October and has been apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese since 2024.
