On April 26, 2025, Brother Geoffrey Jackson, a member of the Governing Body, dedicated a new Bible educational center in Calavi, Benin. Two hundred and eighty-nine brothers and sisters attended the dedication program at the West Africa branch office, located just a short distance from the new facility. An additional 1,243 tied in to the program via videoconference. The following day, a special program was held at the Calavi Assembly Hall and broadcast to all 874 congregations and groups across the West Africa branch territory, a with a total audience of 65,724.

In 2013, a former missionary home and a Kingdom Hall were converted into the first Bible educational center in Benin. Since then, nearly 800 of our brothers and sisters from 12 West African lands have attended the School for Kingdom Evangelizers (SKE) and the School for Circuit Overseers and Their Wives at the facility. However, as the number of students attending these schools grew, it became clear that a new facility was needed. Brother Youssouf Ouedraogo, a member of the West Africa Branch Committee, commented: “Although the facility in Abomey holds fond memories for so many of us, the growth in the Kingdom work in Benin and throughout West Africa made it clear that a new educational center was necessary.”

The new facility, which was completed in February 2025, consists of two buildings. The first includes classrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a library, and staff residential rooms. The second building consists of 12 student residential rooms. The center can accommodate up to five SKE classes and two classes of the School for Circuit Overseers and Their Wives each year.

In March 2025, the educational center began hosting its first SKE class. One student remarked: “From the moment I arrived, I was deeply touched by the center’s beauty and simplicity. Knowing how much effort my brothers and sisters put into constructing it helps me better understand the importance Jehovah places on training and educating his people.”

We rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Benin and throughout West Africa at the dedication of this new Bible educational center, which will aid in training many more to declare Jehovah’s wonderful works.—Psalm 71:17.