Inside the Remarkable Life of the Revered Catholic Cleric on Ghana’s New GH¢2 Banknote Who Is on the Path to Sainthood

The late Ghanaian Catholic leader, Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery, has been immortalized on Ghana’s newly unveiled GH¢2 banknote, drawing renewed national and international attention to the extraordinary life of a pioneering clergyman whose cause for sainthood is actively being pursued by the Catholic Church.

Unveiled by President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, November 12, 2026, as part of the Bank of Ghana’s Cedi Heritage Series ahead of its scheduled December 1 circulation rollout the redesigned GH¢2 denomination celebrates religious freedom and interfaith harmony. The note features Cardinal Dery’s portrait on the front alongside the historic Larabanga Mosque in the Savannah Region on the reverse, symbolizing peaceful coexistence among Ghana’s diverse religious communities.

Born on May 10, 1918, at Zimuopare near Nandom in the Upper West Region, Dery broke barriers on February 11, 1951, by becoming the first Catholic priest ordained from the Upper West enclave. Over decades of dedicated ministry, he rose to become the inaugural Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Wa in 1960, before being appointed Bishop of Tamale in 1974 and subsequently serving as the first Archbishop of Tamale from 1977 until his retirement in 1994.

Cardinal Dery’s impact extended far beyond the pulpit into community empowerment, education, and cultural preservation. He championed the establishment of schools, seminaries like St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Wa, healthcare centers, clean water projects, farmers’ cooperatives, and credit unions across northern Ghana, while advocating strongly for girls’ education. Deeply committed to liturgical inculturation, he made Christian worship accessible to local congregations by integrating indigenous traditions and composing a Catholic Mass in the Dagaare language.

His leadership also left an indelible mark on national governance and global church affairs. Dery served two terms as President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference between 1982 and 1988, contributed to national policy on Ghana’s Council of State and the Ghana Education Service Council, and served on the Pontifical Council for the Laity as well as coordinator of the Pan-African Council for the Laity. In March 2006, Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the second Ghanaian cardinal in history after Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson.

Following his death in Tamale on March 6, 2008, at the age of 89 on the eve of Ghana’s 51st Independence anniversary and his burial at the Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral, the Catholic Church launched formal steps toward his canonization. In June 2013, the Church opened his beatification cause, and by July 13, 2013, the Vatican granted a nihil obstat, officially designating him a Servant of God. A diocesan investigation opened in May 2015 subsequently interviewed 45 witnesses across five northern dioceses to document his heroic Christian virtues.

Although Cardinal Dery remains at the Servant of God stage as of November 2026 awaiting Vatican recognition as Venerable, followed by verified miracles required for beatification as Blessed and final canonization as a Saint the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has intensified efforts to advance his cause. In March 2026, Conference President Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi directed priests nationwide to celebrate a special annual Holy Mass every March 7 to pray for his beatification. Coupled with his prominent placement on the GH¢2 banknote, Cardinal Dery’s legacy of humility, charity, and national unity remains firmly etched in Ghana’s history.

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