PACTPAN Launches “Church of Now” Youth Leadership Team to Strengthen Youth Leadership and Catholic Renewal Across Africa
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — July 1, 2026 — The Pan-African Network of Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) has officially inaugurated the leadership team of its youth movement, Church of Now, marking a significant milestone in the network’s commitment to empowering young Africans as active protagonists in the renewal of the Church and society.
The formal establishment of the Church of Now Executive Leadership Team follows a series of consultative sessions held in a spirit of synodality between young leaders and PACTPAN’s governing body. The appointments, officially confirmed by the Director of Programs, Sr Jane Kimathi, on June 24, 2026, reflect the network’s conviction that the future vitality of the Church in Africa depends upon meaningful youth participation, leadership formation, and intergenerational collaboration.
Church of Now is PACTPAN’s dedicated youth platform, created primarily—but not exclusively—for young people. Guided by experienced mentors drawn from the laity, clergy, and religious life, the initiative seeks to build a continental community where young African Catholics can encounter one another, share experiences, deepen their faith, and help shape the future of the Church.
The movement serves as a platform for dialogue between young Catholics and Church leaders while developing pastoral and leadership formation programs that respond to the realities facing today’s youth—their faith, vocation, education, employment, digital engagement, social responsibility, and participation in the life and mission of the Church.
Among its flagship initiatives are the Building Bright Initiative, which focuses on leadership development and community transformation, and the African Digital Faith Influencers Program, which equips young Catholics to proclaim the Gospel creatively and responsibly within today’s digital culture.
New Executive Leadership Team
PACTPAN is pleased to announce the appointment of the inaugural Executive Leadership Team of Church of Now:
- President: Devis Ampereza (Uganda)
- Vice President: Claudia Apedo (Togo)
- Director of Programs: Milliam Witness Kayange (Malawi)
- Assistant Director of Programs: Camille Agbeva (Benin)
- Secretary and Head of Communications: Bindré Roger Dayamba (Burkina Faso)
- Grant Officer: Denis Kioko Wakine (Kenya)
Ampereza Devis is a Catholic youth from the Diocese of Kabale in Uganda. He is a scholar and teaches in the Department of Human Resource Management at Makerere University Business school . Ampereza Devis was among the 8 youth that had an online encounter with Pope Francis in November 2022 on the Building Bridges Initiative and He is the president of the youth in the Pan African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Business Administration. He is one of the active youth leaders in Uganda who graduated as a Digital Faith Influencer from the PACTPAN.
He comes with deep deternimation to ensure that the youth work together overcome the challenges they face in the world today collectively and be able to achieve what they would like to do for God and his church in Africa
He comes with deep deternimation to ensure that the youth work together overcome the challenges they face in the world today collectively and be able to achieve what they would like to do for God and his church in Africa
Claudia APEDO from Togo is a master’s student in economics and an expert in sales and customer consulting. Active in her parish and in several organizations, she serves as Vice President of the Lay Ministry and Assistant for Cultural Affairs and Human Development at the St. John the Apostle University Parish in Lomé. In addition, she is Vice President of Pactpan’s Church of Now unit and was among the first cohort of young people trained by Pactpan as a Digital Faith Influencer. She is passionate about community engagement and uses her expertise to help her fellow young people develop their entrepreneurial skills. Her goal is to share the joy and love of Jesus Christ with those around her.
Milliam Witness Kayange is a Malawian educator, youth development practitioner, researcher and advocate for education and social transformation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education (English) and serves as a secondary school teacher. Milliam is the Malawi Coordinator and Communications Director for PACT-PAN Malawi Chapter, Director of Programs for the PACT-PAN Church of Now Unit and a member of the PACT-PAN Executive Board. She also serves as Secretary of the National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) Malawi and is a member of the Global Advocacy Team for IMCS Pax Romana. Her professional development includes certifications in Digital Influencing and Global Advocacy. She is currently leading the youth empowerment initiative, Empowering the Youth: Pathways to Sustainable Socio-economic and Spiritual Independence, while conducting research on Assessing Students’ Expectations of the Church and Chaplains: Challenges and Opportunities. Her work is driven by a passion for empowering young people, strengthening Catholic youth leadership and advancing education and sustainable Socio-economic development across Africa.
Camille Agbeva, a young leader from Benin, is active in his parish and shares his experience with the young people in his network. He is also involved in youth training and community development. Passionate about digital innovation and leadership, he is a web developer and AI expert in training. He is leading a project that aims to highlight his country’s pilgrimage sites and places of spiritual renewal. He is an active advocate in youth movements in his country, including the Catholic Student Youth (JEC). He was part of the first cohort of young people trained as Digital Faith Influencers by the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PActpan). Currently, he serves as vice president of the Church of Now unit at Pactpan.
Bindré Roger DAYAMBA is a Sociologist and young Catholic from Burkina Faso. He is actively involved in his parish and diocese. He serves as secretary of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (Pactpan). Executive Committee, coordinator of digital ministry for the Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, and coordinator of Pactpan’s youth ministry in Burkina Faso. As an influencer and digital missionary of the faith—and a member of the first cohort of Pactpan students—he promotes the initiative known as Solidarity For All (S4A), whose spiritual focus is on vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, displaced families, and host communities affected by the terrorism crisis in Burkina Faso. His mission is to build bridges among young people across Africa and promote active solidarity without borders. He serves as Secretary and Head of Communications of the Unit Church of Now.
Dayamba is enrolled at Joseph Ki Zerbo University to pursue a Ph.D., and his research focuses on population displacement in the context of security crises. He is certified in project and program monitoring and evaluation. As a sociologist and consultant, He is experienced in working with research teams on various topics in Burkina Faso, including migration and conflict management.
Denis Kioko Wakine est un jeune catholique engagé dans son diocese. Originaire du Kenyai il a un Bachelors degree in science( Actuarial science option) from Garissa University – Kenya. Il detient un Certificate in Africa Digital Faith influencing from Pactpan ( Pan- African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network)
Sur le plan professionnel, il est Business Banker à Cooperative Bank of kenya.Pationné de l’agriculture il est l’initiateur de projet pour la promotion de l’agriculture durable dans son pays afin de susciter l’intérêt pour la pratique de l’agriculture.
Denis Kioko Wakine is a young Catholic actively involved in his diocese. A native of Kenya, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in science (with a concentration in actuarial science) from Garissa University in Kenya. He also holds a Certificate in Africa Digital Faith Influencing from PACT PAN (Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network). He serves as Grant Officer of Church Of Now Unit of Pactpan
Professionally, he works as a business banker at the Cooperative Bank of Kenya. Passionate about agriculture, he is the initiator of a project to promote sustainable agriculture in his country in order to spark interest in farming.
The Executive Leadership Team will be accompanied by an Advisory Committee composed of experienced lay leaders, priests, religious sisters, and other pastoral agents who will provide mentorship, guidance, and strategic support as the movement continues to grow.
Speaking on the significance of the appointments, Fr. Stan Chu Ilo, Coordinating Servant of PACTPAN, emphasized that the creation of Church of Now represents an important step toward building a truly synodal Church in which young people are not merely recipients of pastoral care but active co-responsible leaders in the Church’s mission.
“Young people are not simply the future of the Church—they are its present. Church of Now seeks to create spaces where their voices are heard, their gifts are nurtured, and their leadership contributes to building a more vibrant, missionary, and hopeful Church across Africa.”
Along the same lines, Sister Jane Waruguru Kimathi, Director of Program of Pactpan, believes that the launch of this unit dedicated to young people will allow the creation of a framework where young people can talk to each other as daughters and sons of the same Church and of the same Africa, facilitating their engagement focused on the challenges of their respective countries and Africa in general.
Looking Ahead
With its leadership team now in place, Church of Now begins the implementation of an ambitious continental agenda aimed at strengthening Catholic youth leadership throughout Africa. Among its immediate priorities are:
- Building the leadership capacity of young African Catholics across the continent;
- Creating networks of encounter and solidarity among Catholic youth from different countries and cultures;
- Promoting peacebuilding, social responsibility, and Christian citizenship;
- Developing innovative pastoral responses to the opportunities and challenges facing today’s young people;
- Expanding digital evangelization and faith formation through the African Digital Faith Influencers Program;
- Supporting initiatives that encourage young people to become agents of hope, reconciliation, and social transformation within their communities.
Through these initiatives, PACTPAN reaffirms its commitment to accompanying a new generation of African Catholic leaders capable of responding creatively and courageously to the pastoral realities of the twenty-first century.
About PACTPAN
The Pan-African Network of Catholic Theology and Pastoral Care (PACTPAN) is a continental network of theologians, pastoral leaders, Catholic institutions, researchers, clergy, religious, and lay professionals committed to promoting theological reflection, pastoral innovation, leadership formation, and collaborative action in service of the Church and society across Africa. Guided by the principles of synodality, missionary discipleship, and servant leadership, PACTPAN works to strengthen the vitality of the Church through research, education, digital evangelization, service to the Church and society in Africa and in the world, dialogue, and transformative pastoral initiatives.
Media Contact
PACTPAN Communications Office
Email: communications@pactpan.org
Website: www.pactpan.org
