The Most Rev. Benjamin Argak Kwashi, the retired Archbishop of Jos and former General Secretary of GAFCON, has been installed as Area Bishop for Chad in the Diocese of North Africa in the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Ashley Null, Bishop of North Africa, told Anglican.Ink that Archbishop Kwashi was installed on 6 June 2026 “at my request of the Archbishop and the Province” to serve as his Area Bishop for Chad. “So yes, Ben is my suffragan,” Bishop Null said.

The installation was held in Cameroon, rather than Chad, at the invitation of Bishop Dibo Elango. Bishop Null said the venue was chosen because American clergy in the diocese, including the bishop, are not presently able to enter Chad, while Chadian clergy can face difficulty obtaining visas for other countries in the diocese.

The travel difficulty follows the Chadian government’s June 2025 suspension of visa issuance and entry for U.S. citizens, except U.S. officials, according to a U.S. Embassy alert in N’Djamena. Chad announced the measure after the United States imposed entry restrictions on Chadian nationals, with President Mahamat Idriss Déby saying the move was made “in accordance with the principles of reciprocity,” according to Reuters.

The Cameroon gathering included a joint three-day clergy retreat for the dioceses of North Africa and Cameroon. Archbishop Kwashi spoke on being a servant of God, drawing from 1 Samuel 1-3, while Bishop Elango gave the daily Bible readings. Bishop Null spoke on Thomas Cranmer and the influence of Augustine on the English Reformation.

Because the clergy of the whole Diocese of North Africa were present for the retreat, they were able later in the week to welcome Archbishop Kwashi in his new role. The Diocese of North Africa also held its annual synod during the same gathering, as a one-day hybrid meeting with both online and in-person delegates. Bishop Elango also hosted a cultural evening, including a history of Cameroon, five traditional dances, and a fashion show.

The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria was inaugurated in 2020 as the Anglican Communion’s 41st province, serving Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Mauritania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia, according to the Anglican Communion Office. The province was formed from the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and was organized into the dioceses of Egypt, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Gambella, according to the same announcement.

Archbishop Kwashi’s appointment brings one of Nigeria’s best-known evangelical Anglican leaders into one of the most challenging mission fields in the Province of Alexandria. A public report by Lightbearer News said Archbishop Kwashi had previously made several visits to Chad in support of the Anglican mission there, and quoted him as saying: “To serve in Chad is to pioneer a ministry and mission sacrificially. This includes possible insecurities and uncertainties.”

Bishop Null said the Anglican Diocese currently has only nine workers for all of Chad, of whom four are priests. The diocese is laying the groundwork for a pro-Cathedral complex in N’Djamena, the capital, while also seeking to replace tree-branch roofing in village churches with more durable roofs to protect congregations during the rainy season.

The diocese is also seeking to replace dirt floors with concrete in churches that serve as meeting places for local primary schools. Bishop Null said the church also hopes to refocus a clinic on preventing infant mortality, a pressing concern in Chad, where child mortality remains among the highest in the world. UNICEF has described Chad as having the fourth-highest child mortality rate globally, with under-five mortality at 101 deaths per 1,000 live births, despite major reductions since 1992.

The mission field also includes ministry among displaced people. UNHCR reported that, as of May 2026, Chad was hosting about 2.25 million forcibly displaced people, including roughly 1.54 million refugees and asylum seekers, with more than 928,800 new Sudanese arrivals since April 2023.

Bishop Null said the diocese is working to develop ministries to Sudanese refugees in camps in the northeast and to Nigerians in refugee camps in the south. He described Archbishop Kwashi as “a noted evangelist who combines soul-winning with building community institutions like schools and clinics.”

Archbishop Kwashi has set a goal of winning 5,000 new souls for Christ in Chad and of having a school attached to each church. Bishop Null said local mayors in rural areas are eager to support that vision.