The Vatican has announced the resignation of the Bishop of Jasikan, Most Reverend Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante, and the appointment of Reverend Simon Kofi Appiah as his successor.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Holy See through Agenzia Fides, it said Pope Leo XIV had accepted Bishop Mante’s resignation from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Jasikan.

At the same time, the Pope appointed Reverend Appiah, who until now was a lecturer at the Department of Religion and Human Values of the University of Cape Coast, as the new Bishop of Jasikan.

Reverend Appiah is a priest of the Diocese of Jasikan with extensive academic and pastoral experience. He was born on July 1, 1964, in Teteman and undertook his philosophical and theological formation at Saint Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast.

He was ordained a priest on July 21, 1990, for the then Diocese of Keta Ho and was later incardinated into the Diocese of Jasikan following its creation in 1994.

His early pastoral ministry included service as a parish vicar in the communities of Kpedze, Vakpo and Kadjebi between 1990 and 1995. He later pursued advanced studies in Europe, attending the Universität Tübingen in Germany from 1995 to 2001, where he obtained a doctorate in theological ethics. He also earned 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.

Upon returning to Ghana, Reverend Appiah served in several key diocesan roles, including formator at the Saint Patrick Formation House, diocesan chancellor, and director of the diocesan Office for the Pastoral Care of Vocations. He also worked as a pastoral collaborator in the parish of Kadjebi for several years.

Since 2011, he has been a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and at the major seminary in Pedu, contributing to the formation of future clergy and the academic study of religion and ethics in Ghana.

His appointment as Bishop of Jasikan places him at the helm of a diocese located in the Oti Region, where he is expected to build on his pastoral experience and academic background to lead the local Catholic community.