Archbishop of Bouaké
Archbishop Jacques Assanvo Ahiwa, Archbishop of Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, was born on 6 January 1969 in Kuindjabo, in the district of Aboisso, Diocese of Grand-Bassam. After completing his formation at the Minor Seminary of Bouaké and the Saint Cœur de Marie Major Seminary of Anyama, in the Archdiocese of Abidjan, he was ordained a priest on 13 December 1997 for the Diocese of Grand Bassam. After priestly ordination, he held the following offices: parochial vicar in the parish of Saint François Xavier in Aboisso (1997-1998); secretary general of the Diocese of Grand-Bassam and diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (1998-2002); master's degree in biblical theology at the Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (U.C.A.O. / U.U.A.) (2002-2004); doctorate in biblical theology in Strasbourg (2004-2011); 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 Elefantaria in Mauritania and auxiliary bishop of Bouaké, and he received episcopal consecration on the following 3 October. From 2024 he was apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese.