More than 4,000 people attended the fifth annual Strengthening Families Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, June 21-22, with tens of thousands more participating online worldwide, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
The conference was sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Educators, religious leaders, government and community leaders from around the world met at the Abuja International Conference Center to discuss important issues relating to families.
This year’s conference theme was strengthening marriages. On the first day, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, General Authority Seventy and president of the Africa West Area, and his wife, Sister Wendy Nielsen, were keynote speakers.
“The Church of Jesus Christ believes marriage is sacred and was ordained of God before the foundation of the world,” Elder Nielsen said. “We define a successful marriage as one where both spouses make the conscious decision to love and respect each other throughout their marriage. God’s love naturally radiates from their union.”
Sister Nielsen said, “Our ability to reach a fulness of happiness and joy in this life, and to achieve glory and exaltation in the life to come, are inextricably linked to our marriage covenants and the development of God-centered families.”
Other speakers at the Strengthening Families Conference
Speakers and messages shared throughout the conference represented the diversity of nationalities and depth of experience in the Africa West Area.
Elder D. Martin Goury, an Area Seventy for the Church of Jesus Christ from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, spoke about conflicts in marriage. “In order to maintain our commitment to love, cherish, and honor our spouses, we need to yield ourselves and our rights, first to God and then to one another.”
Rt. Rev. Oscar C. Amoah, an Anglican bishop from Kumasi Ghana, said, “In the Catholic church, we teach that the future of the world is dependent upon how we protect the family. Family should be the center of our lives. The future of the world is dependent on this.”
The immediate past deputy governor of Enugu state in Nigeria, H.E. Lolo Cecilia Ezeilo, asked, “Who is teaching our children? If it’s not the parents, it’s social media or contemporary personalities. It’s up to the parents whether or not they are taught the values of God or the values of the world.”
Sharon Slater, president of Family Watch International, discussed how to strengthen families by immunizing children against modern-day pressures. “One of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother, and for a mother to love their father, setting a positive example,” she said.
Yovo Kokouvi Ketowotsa, a traditional chief of the Kpogan Village in Togo, urged young people to marry, not to wait or live together. “Don’t let age or finances stop you from marrying. Marriage is the key to the stability of a family. Observe God in your marriage and things will work out.”
Panelists, booths and music at the Strengthening Families Conference
Law, religion, and education experts from various countries in West Africa joined panels over the two-day conference where they discussed issues surrounding and specific to marriage in Africa.
Musical guests included the Bonner Family from the United States, and the Festival of Praise Choir and Orchestra from Nigeria. A combined three-stake choir from Abuja sang a rendition of “Families Can Be Together Forever.”
Conference participants visited more than 20 booths representing various religious and community-based groups, media and businesses.
At the close of the conference, Elder Goury welcomed Sekou Aboidji Ehublah Marthe from the Ministry of Family, Woman and Child in the Ivory Coast and officially transitioned the conference to Abidjan for 2024.
