As Ahiara Priest, Fr. Walter Ihejirika emerges first-ever African SIGNIS World President
The Church in Africa, following the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress in African soil, witnessed a remarkable milestone. This historic event which gathered over 200 global Catholic communicators in Kigali, Rwanda this year, concluded successfully with the emergence of Rev. Fr. Prof. Walter Ihejirika, as the first African President of SIGNIS World. The joy of the Church in Africa knew no bounds following this election of an African as President of this global association.
Joining the global Catholic Communication family in celebrating this feat, the Catholic faithful of Ahiara Diocese described the emergence of their priest, Rev. Fr. Prof. Walter Ihejirika as a historic breakthrough for the Diocese, Nigeria and Africa at large. For the Diocese, the election is both a global ecclesial achievement and a great moment of thanksgiving.
In a congratulatory message from the Directorate of Social Communications, Ahiara Diocese, Fr Ihejirika was presented as exemplary in conduct, scholarship and ministry. As one of the pioneers and tutors in professional communication engagement of the Church, his remarkable roles in blossoming the communications apostolate in Ahiara Diocese was acknowledged. They traced his journey from Obibi, Nguru Aboh Mbaise, his Priestly ordination for Ahiara Diocese on July 23, 1994, and his longstanding contribution to Professional Catholic Communication and also in the field of academia.
Highlighting his trailblazing role, they emphasized his immense contributions to the growth of the directorate as the Chairman and his previous leadership as President of SIGNIS Nigeria and SIGNIS Africa. The directorate described him as a beacon of hard work, consistency, value creation and a passionate team player, noting his emergence as not only a personal accomplishment but a source of pride for Ahiara Diocese, the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Nigeria, and Africa. They added that his emergence as SIGNIS World President opens a new chapter in his long service in the apostolate of Church Communications.
Rev. Fr Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika was elected the president of SIGNIS World, the World Catholic Association for Communication on August 7, 2026 during the SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, succeeding Ms Helen Osman of United States of America. His election came at the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress held on African Soil, making him also the first African to lead SIGNIS at the global level since it began in 2001. The Congress which took place in Kigali, Rwanda from August 3 to August 8, 2026 under the theme, “Digital Communication for Cultural Harmony and Environmental Well-being brought together many catholic communication professionals from over 40 countries.
Presenting his address during the Kigali World Congress, Fr Ihejirika described Africa’s opportunity to host the 2026 World SIGNIS as historic, attributing the milestone to the growth of the Church in Africa inspired by decades of missionary evangelization. He encouraged communicators to use digital communication to promote cultural harmony and environmental wellbeing. He described the Kigali Congress as a “kairos moment” for catholic communicators. This message was indeed laden with opportunity looking for an answer. The “kairos moment” of the Kigali Congress presented an opportunity that led to the historic emergence of an African, as President of SIGNIS.
Fr Ihejirika’s emergence at the helm of SIGNIS World represents the culmination of decades of priestly, academic, and professional engagement in the field of communication.
A professor of Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of Port Harcourt; where his academic work has explored the intersections of media, religion, culture, development, digital technology and social transformation, Fr Ihejirika combines priestly ministry with scholarship and professional communication. His election makes him the head of a worldwide Catholic Communication Association whose members operate across Radio, Television, Cinema, Journalism, and Digital Media in more than 100 countries.
SIGNIS is a non-governmental organization that includes members from over 100 countries. As the “World Catholic Association for Communication,” it brings together radio, television, cinema, video, media education, internet, and new technology professionals. The members of the association are grouped into the following regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbeans, North America and the Pacific (Oceania). Others newly elected to the SIGNIS World Board of Directors are Pamela Aleman (SIGNIS USA-Canada) and Magimai Pragasam (SIGNIS India) as Vice Presidents, while Adriana Racasan (SIGNIS Europe) was elected Treasurer.
Responding to the goodwill messages following his emergence, Fr Ihejirika while thanking all for their messages, described the messages which trickled in through phone calls, text messages on various social media platforms as quite remarkable. “Becoming the first African and Black President of this global organization is quite a humbling experience,” he affirmed. He described the position as a call for deeper service. He thanked especially his brother priests of Ahiara Presbyterium for their words of encouragement through congratulatory messages. “Your fraternal solidarity gives me courage to face the task ahead. Kindly continue to pray for me so that I could exercise this responsibility with the requisite diligence. My fruitful service to the Church and society through SIGNIS will bring honour to God and be a source of pride to the Church in Africa, Nigeria and most especially to our beloved diocese.” he stressed.
The Diocese while congratulating him on this well- deserved honour and for his dedicated service to the Church through Communication, Scholarship, and Evangelization, pledged their continual support and prayers for him as he assumes this global responsibility in service of the Universal Church.
