Ghana: New Two Ghana Cedis Notes Unveiled · Global Voices
Mac-Jordan

The wait for the new GHc2.00 [Two Ghana Cedis] note is over as the Central Bank of Ghana officially commissioned the note into circulation last Friday; 14th June, 2010.
According to the Bank of Ghana, the new note is meant to lessen the burden on the GHc1.00 [One Ghana Cedi] note which hitherto was the next lower denominator below the GHc5.00 [Five Ghana Cedis] note. Change arising from the use of the GHc5.00 [Five Ghana Cedis] note has regularly posed challenges.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur said;
“The introduction of the new note will ease the immense pressure on the GHc1.00 note. He also said the excessive use of the One Cedi note reduced its quality thereby defeating the Clean Note Policy of the Bank of Ghana.”
Front of the new GHC2.00 note
The new Two Cedis note has the portrait of Ghana's first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and a commemorative text inscribed as “CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF DR. KWAME NKRUMAH” to celebrate the year-long anniversary of Ghana's visionary leader. The new note, which is also believed to serve as a bridge currency note between the GHc1.00 and GHc5.00, is already out in the public domain.
Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur; implored Ghanaians and all those going to handle the new note to do so with absolute care in order to prolong its lifespan. He also urged particularly the men to put the money in wallets and not in their pockets and advised people not to squeeze the notes at church offering sessions.
He also stated that henceforth;
“The country’s currencies will be used to honour its heroes, explaining the rationale for putting an imposing picture of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah on the new note.”
Back of the new GHC2.00 note. Photo by Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes Disu-Degadjor
The reverse of the banknote depicts the old and new Parliament buildings, signifying Ghana’s deepening democracy.
In a related article by Thomas Dickens; “A Better Ghana: the New Two-Cedi Note“, he magnanimously described the placing of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on the new GHc2.00 notes as;
“the loss of focus of the current political administration and a perfect example of political bigotry.”
In summing up his article, Thomas Dickens shared this in-sight about Ghana which is really worth taking a closer look;
“I do not mind how many invectives are poured on me. I must also point out that I do not mind who is in power. All that I care about is that Ghana—a country which once could only be compared to South Korea and Malaysia—becomes a middle income country in about twenty years’ time. It thus behoves on the ever-fumbling Professor Mills whose pronunciation of Economy (ecomini) is as doubtful as his management of it to begin to listen to the constructive criticisms of Ghanaians and the anger-ridden ranting Rawlings. In opposition, the NDC promised to listen if they won the elections. It is about time they listened to the ceaseless wailings of Ghanaians which have been drowned in the howling of lying radio commentators who are no better than stooges, bootlickers and political sycophants whose express intentions are to please for the sake of filling their pockets and their pot-bellies.”
A reader, Calamity Mills shared a comment on Thomas Dickens article;
“The new Ghana cedis notes which feature the “Big Six” were printed to honor also Dr.Kwame Nkrumah.What more honor will it do to him to print Dr. Nkrumah alone on the Two cedis notes? Somehow, the toppling of Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People's Party [CPP] has become an alibi and an excuse for our past and present failures. It seems we are lost without him. A brilliant article.”
Traders have received the new notes with joy as Tetteh reports:
Nana Kwame, an onion seller at the same market, commended the government for introducing the new note, saying it would facilitate transactions.
A taxi driver, Osei Agyemang, who plies between Accra High Street and Osu, said the introduction of the new note would make it easier for him to give out change, pointing out that sometimes it became very difficult when he did not have enough GH¢1 notes on him.
He, however, called on the government to encourage more people to use coins, saying that sometimes some of his passengers refused coins as change.
Readers at PeaceFMOnline had this to say:
Alfred Roma Cala:
it is a very nice currency but what about our coins as it is now not valid but some of us still have it.we need something about that too
Fred:
the new note isn't bad bt letz also fight 4 the survival of the coins
Kamasah:
I can`t wait to start giving my wife chop money with the Ghana new two(2) cedi note … I think i love it and is very very good to have this two(2) cedi ..
K. A. Asante:
Sometimes we need to put aside party affiliation and think positively. I FULLY agree with the Governor on varying the portraits on our currency notes to, as he put it, frustrate counterfeiting and also recognise other graet heros. Not only Kwame Nkrumah and the big six did a lot for Ghana, my father also.