The Ghana Cedi (currency sign: GH₵;currency code: GHS) is the unit of currency of Ghana. The word "cedi" is derived from the Akan word for cowry shell (Cowry shells were once used in Ghana as a form of currency). The new Ghana cedi was introduced on 1 July 2007 at a rate equal to 10,000 old cedis. It was the highest-valued currency unit issued by sovereign countries in Africa in 2007.
One Ghana cedi is divided into one hundred Ghana pesewas (Gp).
A number of Ghanaian coins have also been issued in Sika denominations. These are probably best considered as "medallic" coinage, and may have no legal tender status. The word sika means "gold."
The Ghanaian cedi symbol ₵ is a letter C struck through with a vertical or slightly angledbar. The symbol was accepted for encoding in Unicode as U+20B5 in 2004. It should not be confused with the colón sign ₡ (Unicode: U+20A1; decimal: 8353) or the cent sign ¢ (Unicode: U+00A2; decimal: 162).
However, because some fonts do not provide a cedi character, the cent sign is often used in its place, including all official Ghanaian documents. Unlike the cent sign, however, the cedi always precedes the numerical value and in official use is always preceded by the letters GH.
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