Kigali, Rwanda — August 7, 2026. SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, elected a new Board of Directors during its General Assembly, held every four years and convened this time in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the SIGNIS World Congress 2026.
The vote was conducted in hybrid format, allowing delegates from across the association’s regions to take part in person and remotely. Fr. Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika (Nigeria) was elected President of SIGNIS. Pamela Alemán (Canada) and Dr. Magimai Pragasam (India) were elected Vice-Presidents, while Peter Rachada Monthienvichienchai (Thailand) was re-elected Secretary General. Adriana Răcășan (Romania) will serve as the association’s Treasurer.
Following the election, the new Board of Directors held its first working session, during which members began outlining priorities for the term ahead.
Fr. Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika is a Nigerian Catholic priest and Professor of Development Communication and Media Studies at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in the Sociology of Communication from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a master’s degree in Pedagogy and Communication from the Pontifical Salesian University, both in Rome. Before his election as SIGNIS President, he led SIGNIS Africa as President for eight years and chaired the organizing committee of the SIGNIS World Congress 2026 in Kigali.
In his first message as President of SIGNIS, Fr. Walter Ihejirika stressed the importance of working together as a team so that SIGNIS can become the great network of Catholic communicators that everyone is proud to belong to.
