Benjamin Boni
Bishop Benjamin Boni
Active
Africa
West Africa Central Conference
Côte D'ivoire Episcopal Area
Bishop Benjamin Boni was elected to the episcopacy in 2004 by the West Africa Central Conference.------------------------
Benjamin Boni was born in Arraguie (Agboville, Côte d’Ivoire) to a Christian family. His deceased father, Clement Boni, was one of the first Catechists of the Methodist Protestant Church of Côte d’Ivoire. His mother, Francisca Brou, still alive, was among the first entering class of the Methodist Girls’ School in Dabou (Côte d’Ivoire) in the early 1930s. Benjamin Boni is married to Berthe Ngbesso Odombo. They have six children (five girls and a boy).
Benjamin Boni pursued his high school education at Lycee Classique of Abidjan from 1966-1971. He obtained his Baccalaureate with an emphasis in Literature in 1971. It was during his studies at Lycee Classique that he felt a call to the Christian Ministry. Benjamin Boni attended the Yaounde Theological Seminary in Cameroon from 1971-1975, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Theology. He later continued his university education at the Graduate School of Theology at the University of Strasbourg in France. He earned a Master of Theology with a specialty in Family Education. He participated in several training programs while abroad and at home. He received training in Family Counseling at the School of Parents and Educators in Strasbourg, France, and training in Communications and Mass Media in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Benjamin Boni studied English as a Second language at Selly Oak College in Birmingham, England.
He was ordained elder in January 1980, at Lakota by Reverend Auguste Lambert Ackah, then President of the Methodist Protestant Church of Côte d’Ivoire. He has held several positions within and outside the church. These positions include but are not limited to serving as a pastor in Azaguie, chaplain of the Protestant Student Union, and Director of Literature and Mass Media. On the national front, Benjamin Boni was appointed Member of the National Mediation Committee, Member of the Civil Society Organization on Peace, and Member of the Academy of Science, Arts and African Culture.
Benjamin Boni was elected President of the Annual Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church of Côte d’Ivoire on August 1, 1998. He was re-elected President on December 23, 2001. On March 12, 2004, he was elected Bishop of the newly established Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire.
Mailing Address
CÔTE D'IVOIRE EPISCOPAL AREA - UMC41 Boulevard De La Republique / Abidjan Plateau
Cote D'Ivoire