Ignatius Anipu Appointed Bishop of Maradi, Niger

Pope Francis has named Missionaries of Africa priest, Father Ignatius Anipu, as the new Bishop of Maradi, Niger. Born in November 1959 in the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana, the Bishop-elect has spent many years serving in various leadership roles within the Missionaries of Africa and beyond.

Father Anipu was ordained a priest in July 1991 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at St. Victor’s Major Seminary in Tamale, Ghana, and the Institut Catholique de Toulouse in France. Over the years, he has held numerous significant positions, including serving as the Delegate of the Provincial of Western Africa for the Missionaries of Africa, and as the Director of the Institut de Formation Islamo-Chrétienne (IFIC) in Bamako, Mali.

His pastoral experience includes serving as Parish Vicar at St. Teresa of Ávila in Zinder, National Chaplain for Niger’s youth, Parish Priest at St. Vincent de Paul in Birni N’Konni, and Provincial Counselor. Additionally, Father Anipu has been the head of the White Fathers Community in Birni N’Konni and has lectured in missiology, traditional African religions, and Islamology at the Missionary Institute of London in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

In his role as Provincial Superior of the Missionaries of Africa in West Africa, and later as General Assistant and General Counselor of the Missionaries of Africa in Rome, Monsignor Anipu’s leadership has had a profound impact on the Society’s mission across the region.

Please join us in congratulating Bishop-elect Ignatius Anipu as he embarks on this new chapter in his service to the Church and to the people of Maradi.