An Imo-born Catholic priest and renowned communication scholar, Rev. Fr. Walter Ihejirika, has been elected President of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication.
Ihejirika was elected on August 7, 2026, during the ongoing SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, where Catholic media professionals from across the world gathered to deliberate on the future of communication and the Church.
SIGNIS is a global non-profit network of Catholic communication professionals working across the press, radio, television, cinema, internet and emerging technologies.
Until his election, Ihejirika served as President of SIGNIS Africa, where he provided leadership in strengthening Catholic communication and promoting media apostolate across the continent.
A Professor of Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of Port Harcourt, Ihejirika is also a holder of a PhD in Social Communication from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.
Ordained a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara in Imo State, he has distinguished himself as a priest, academic, researcher and communication expert.
His academic and professional interests include media, religion, culture, development communication, digital technology and social transformation.
Ihejirika previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Port Harcourt and as an Associate Fellow of the Centre for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University, Chicago, United States.
His election to lead SIGNIS globally is widely seen as recognition of his years of service, expertise and commitment to advancing Catholic communication.
Other members elected into the SIGNIS World Board of Directors include Pamela Aleman of SIGNIS USA-Canada and Magimai Pragasam of India as Vice Presidents, while Adriana Racasan of SIGNIS Europe was elected Treasurer.
The new leadership is expected to advance SIGNIS’ global mission of empowering Catholic communicators to promote truth, hope and love in an increasingly digital world.
