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Freetown Sierra Leone Temple
Framing the temple steeple; construction estimated to be completed in late 2026
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Announcement:
5 October 2019Groundbreaking and Site Dedication:
19 March 2022 by Hugo E. MartinezSite:
2.9 acres | 1.2 hectaresArchitectural Features:
Single attached central towerOrdinance Rooms:
Two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms, and one baptistryTotal Floor Area:
18,000 square feet | 1,672 square metersElevation:
97 feet | 30 metersGroundbreaking Ceremony
On March 19, 2022, ground was broken for the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple—the first to be constructed in the country. The 18,000-square-foot temple and a two-story ancillary building will be built on a 2.9-acre site in the Kossoh Town region of Freetown. Elder Hugo E. Martinez, president of the Africa West Area, presided at the event. Speaking of the members of the Church in Sierra Leone, he said: "They will be able to attend [the temple] and become better disciples of Jesus Christ, better family members, and better citizens of Sierra Leone with a temple to be built here."1
Temple Design
The single-story Freetown Sierra Leone Temple will be approximately 18,000 square feet. A two-story ancillary building will also be constructed, housing an arrival center, patron housing, presidency apartments, ordinance worker apartments, and utility functions.
Temple Rendering
On December 15, 2021, the official exterior rendering for the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple was released.
Temple Site
On December 15, 2021, the location of the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple was announced as a 2.9-acre site on Jui Road located in the Kossoh Town region of Freetown. It will be visible to motorists traveling the Masiaka-Yonibana Highway.
Temple Announcement
Sierra Leone's first temple was announced by President Russell M. Nelson at the General Women's Session of the 189th Semiannual General Conference. There are more than 21,000 Latter-day Saints organized into six stakes and three districts in this West African nation. To participate in temple ordinances, Freetown members currently travel over 1,240 miles (2,000 km) to the Accra Ghana Temple. Saints in Liberia, where there are five stakes and one district in operation, will also be blessed by having a temple much closer to them.2
Temple Facts
The Freetown Sierra Leone Temple will be the first temple built in Sierra Leone.
- "Temple Groundbreaking Held in Sierra Leone," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 19 Mar. 2022.
- "President Nelson Announces Eight New Temples During General Conference," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 5 Oct. 2019.
