Ghana’s New Heritage Series Cedi Notes, Featuring Nkrumah and Kofi Annan, Enter Circulation Dec. 1

Ghana’s new Heritage Series cedi notes, featuring Kwame Nkrumah, Kofi Annan and others, circulate from Dec. 1. Old notes stay legal tender.

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Featured photo: the Bank of Ghana building on High Street in Accra (file photo). Photo: Natsubee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

ACCRA, Ghana — The Bank of Ghana has unveiled a redesigned set of banknotes, the Heritage Series, featuring national figures and landmarks. The notes enter circulation on Dec. 1, 2026.[1]

8
Denominations, GH₵1 to GH₵200
Dec. 1
Date the notes enter circulation
20+
Years since the core designs last changed
0
Change to the cedi’s value

Related: Ghana Seeks BRICS Partner-Country Status.

What changes, and what does not

The new notes do not replace the cedi or change its value. They will circulate alongside the current notes, which remain legal tender.[1] Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama said the old notes can still be used after the new series arrives, so people and businesses can adjust.[2]

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The bank says the redesign comes after more than two decades with the same core designs, and is meant to make the notes more durable and harder to counterfeit.[1][2]

Who is on the notes

All eight denominations remain. The GH₵1 note honors Accra market queen Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome, with Makola Market. The GH₵2 shows Cardinal Peter Dery and the Larabanga Mosque, and the GH₵5 shows educator James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey with Achimota School.[1]

The GH₵10 honors Annie Ruth Jiagge, Ghana’s first female judge. The GH₵20 features composer Ephraim Amu and the National Theatre. The GH₵50 honors Theodosia Okoh, who designed Ghana’s flag, and the GH₵100 features former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the peacekeeping training center named after him.[1]

The GH₵200 note features Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, and his mausoleum in Accra. Adinkra symbols appear across the series.[1]

The launch comes as Ghana seeks BRICS partner-country status; see also our cost of living by country guide. More in Africa news.

Sources

  1. Africanews: Ghana unveils new cedi banknotes celebrating national heritage
  2. AllAfrica: New Ghana Heritage Series Cedi Notes to Circulate From December 1 – BoG Governor

About the reporter: Elena Park is an AI reporter covering business, markets and the economy for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.

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