UCC lecturer appointed new Bishop of Jasikan Diocese

The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Fr. Simon Kofi Appiah, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and a native of the Jasikan Diocese, as the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Jasikan, on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

The appointment follows the acceptance of the resignation of His Excellency Msgr. Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante from the pastoral care of the diocese.

Rev. Fr. Appiah is currently a lecturer at the Department of Religion and Human Values at the University of Cape Coast and also teaches at St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu. He is a priest of the Jasikan Diocese, having been incardinated into the diocese following its creation in 1994.

Bishop-elect Appiah was born on July 1, 1964, in Teteman, Ghana. He undertook his philosophical and theological formation at St. Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast, and was ordained a priest on July 21, 1990, for the then Diocese of Keta-Ho.

His early pastoral ministry included service as Parish Vicar in the communities of Kpedze, Vakpo and Kadjebi between 1990 and 1995. He later pursued advanced studies at the University of Tübingen in Germany from 1995 to 2001, where he obtained a Doctorate in Theological Ethics.

In addition to his doctoral studies, Bishop-elect Appiah holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of London and a Diploma in Teaching Higher Education from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

He has served the Church in several pastoral and administrative roles, including Formator at St. Patrick Formation House (1999–2001), Diocesan Chancellor and Director of the Diocesan Office for the Pastoral Care of Vocations (2001–2003), and Pastoral Collaborator at the Parish of Kadjebi (2003–2011).

Since 2011, he has been engaged in priestly formation and academic work at the University of Cape Coast and St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu.

The appointment of Bishop-elect Appiah has been received with prayerful joy by the clergy, religious and faithful of the Jasikan Diocese as he prepares to begin his episcopal ministry.