News & Current Affairs

Cardinal Dery and Larabanga Mosque Put the North on Ghana’s New GH¢2 Note

Ghana’s new Heritage Series cedi notes put Tamale’s Cardinal Peter Dery and the Larabanga Mosque on the GH¢2. They circulate from 1 December.

Published

36 minutes ago

November 12, 2026

thesavannaonline

The whitewashed mud-and-timber Larabanga Mosque in the Savannah Region

Northern Ghana has a place on the country’s new banknotes. The GH¢2 note in the Bank of Ghana’s new Heritage Series carries a portrait of Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery, the first Archbishop of Tamale, with the Larabanga Mosque in the Savannah Region on its back, according to 3News.

President John Dramani Mahama unveiled the series at the Bank of Ghana’s Bank Square headquarters in Accra on Thursday, November 12. The notes enter circulation from December 1, 2026, and the current notes remain legal tender, the Bank’s Governor, Dr Johnson Asiama, said, according to MyJoyOnline and Pulse Ghana.

A note on religious freedom

Each Heritage note has its own theme, with a national figure on the front, a landmark on the back and an Adinkra symbol. The orange-and-gold GH¢2 is themed on religious freedom, pairing a Catholic cardinal with one of the oldest mosques in West Africa. Its symbol is Nyame Dua, the “tree of God”, 3News reports.

Front and back of the new GH¢2 Heritage Series note, showing Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery and Larabanga Mosque, Savannah Region — GH¢2 — Front: Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery (1918–2008), first Archbishop of Tamale. Back: the Larabanga Mosque, Savannah Region. Theme: Religious Freedom. Image: Bank of Ghana

Who was Cardinal Dery?

Born on May 10, 1918, at Zemuopare in what is now the Upper West Region, Peter Poreku Dery was ordained a priest in 1951 and served in Nandom before becoming the first Bishop of Wa in 1960, according to his official Vatican biography.

He later led the Diocese of Tamale and was named its first Archbishop in 1977 when it became an archdiocese, retiring in 1994. He was known for bringing local languages and culture into Church worship and for founding many schools. Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2006, at the age of 87, and he died on March 6, 2008. The Catholic Church in Ghana has since begun the process towards his beatification.

The Larabanga Mosque

The mud-and-timber mosque at Larabanga, near Mole National Park in the Savannah Region, is built in the Sudano-Sahelian style and is often described as one of the oldest mosques in West Africa. It is on UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage list as part of the “Trade Pilgrimage Routes of North-Western Ghana”.

The new notes at a glance

The other seven Heritage notes, with the person on the front and the landmark on the back of each:

Front and back of the new GH¢1 Heritage Series note, showing Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome and market women selling foodstuffs — GH¢1 — Front: Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome (1913–1997), Accra market trader and backer of Kwame Nkrumah’s independence campaign. Back: market women selling foodstuffs. Theme: Commerce. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢5 Heritage Series note, showing Dr J.E.K. Aggrey and clock-tower building of Achimota School, Accra — GH¢5 — Front: Dr J.E.K. Aggrey (1875–1927), educator. Back: the clock-tower building of Achimota School, Accra. Theme: Education. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢10 Heritage Series note, showing Justice Annie Jiagge and Supreme Court of Ghana — GH¢10 — Front: Justice Annie Jiagge (1918–1996), judge and women’s rights campaigner. Back: the Supreme Court of Ghana. Theme: Justice & Equality. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢20 Heritage Series note, showing Dr Ephraim Amu and National Theatre, Accra — GH¢20 — Front: Dr Ephraim Amu (1899–1995), composer. Back: the National Theatre, Accra. Theme: Arts & Entertainment. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢50 Heritage Series note, showing Theodosia Okoh and Jubilee House, Accra — GH¢50 — Front: Theodosia Okoh (1922–2015), designer of Ghana’s national flag. Back: Jubilee House, Accra. Theme: Nationalism. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢100 Heritage Series note, showing Kofi Annan and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra — GH¢100 — Front: Kofi Annan (1938–2018), seventh UN Secretary-General. Back: the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra. Theme: Peace. Image: Bank of Ghana

Front and back of the new GH¢200 Heritage Series note, showing Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Accra — GH¢200 — Front: Dr Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972), Ghana’s first President. Back: the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Accra. Theme: Sovereignty. Image: Bank of Ghana

The Bank says the new notes are smaller and harder to counterfeit. It has also launched a Cedi App to help people recognise genuine notes, including people with visual impairments, and is opening a new cash centre at its Tamale regional office, according to MyJoyOnline and Pulse Ghana.

Sources: 3News — https://3news.com/banking/new-ghana-cedi-notes-faces-landmarks-symbols-heritage-banknotes; MyJoyOnline — https://www.myjoyonline.com/heritage-series-banknotes-to-be-in-circulation-from-december-1-bog-governor/; Vatican Press Office — https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_dery_pp.html