Diocese of Yendi

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Yendi is located in the city of Yendi in the Ecclesiastical province of Tamale. It is one of the most recently created dioceses in Ghana, having been formed in 1999. The Rt. Rev. Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai was appointed the first Bishop of the diocese, where he served until his retirement in June 2022. On June 3, 2022, Mons. Matthew Yitiereh was appointed the newly elected Bishop by the Holy Father Pope Francis.

The Diocese of Yendi is in general a very rural diocese covering 7,400 square miles in the Northern region of Ghana. As such there are many challenges facing the Church, including poverty, illiteracy, and lack of health care. The village of Sang, with a population of approximately 5,200 people, is one of over a hundred outstations within the Diocese. Sang lies between the city of Tamala, the regional capital of the Northern Region, and Yendi, the traditional capital of the Dagbon people. Here, 90 percent of the population relies on subsistance farming. Very little value is placed on education so the majority of the people are illiterate. Boys are relied upon to till the land and girls are often given out in marriage when they reach the age of puberty. In addition, the government has been unable to provide strong social structures such as schools, medical clinics, good water supplies, electricity, roads, etc. and much of this has been left to the Church to provide.

Coupled with the above situation of illiteracy and poverty is the fact that in 1994 Yendi, a majority Muslim district, was the site of multiple inter-tribal wars between the Dagombas, the Nanunbas, the Gonjas and the Konkombas. These wars led to much destruction in terms of lives and property, the effects of which are still felt today. In order to establish a culture of peace, Bishop Boi-Nai devised a program based on progressing communication and understanding between the different cultural groups. "What I realised was that I could not preach the Word of God to people who were fighting and did not have peace of mind," Bishop Vincent said.