Ghana’s new banknotes will enter circulation on 1 December 2026, introducing eight individual portraits and redesigned imagery across the GH¢1 to GH¢200 denominations. The Heritage Series also changes the notes’ size, durability, and accessibility.
President John Dramani Mahama unveiled the new Ghana cedi notes at Bank Square in Accra on 12 November. Existing notes will remain legal tender and circulate alongside the new series. The exercise does not change the currency’s value or require the public to exchange their cash immediately.
The most visible change is the choice of personalities. The series gives individual recognition to contributions spanning trade, education, religion, justice, music, national identity and diplomacy.
The people on the new Ghana cedi notes
Three women appear on the new series, with designs that recognize their contributions to commerce, justice, and national identity.
GH¢1: Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome (1913–1997)
Theme: Commerce 🛍️
A prominent Accra market trader and supporter of Ghana’s independence movement. She backed Kwame Nkrumah’s political campaign and represents market women’s contribution to Ghana’s economic and political development.
The reverse features market traders, honouring the backbone of Ghana’s informal economy.
GH₵10 — JUSTICE ANNIE BAËTA JIAGGE (1918–1996)
Theme: Justice & Equality ⚖️
One of Ghana’s first female lawyers and judges, a leading advocate for women’s rights and a proud Ewe woman.
She played an important role in drafting the 1967 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. She was also a principal drafter of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and co-founded the organization that became Women’s World Banking.
Her legacy represents justice, equality and women’s empowerment. The reverse features Ghana’s Supreme Court.
GH₵50 — THEODOSIA SALOME OKOH (1922–2015)
Theme: Nationalism 🇬🇭
A Ghanaian teacher, artist and sportswoman from Anum in the Eastern Region, who designed Ghana’s national flag in 1957.
Its red stands for the bloodshed in the independence struggle, gold for our mineral wealth, green for forests and natural resources, and the Black Star for African freedom. She was the first woman to chair the Ghana Hockey Association, and Accra’s national hockey stadium bears her name.
The reverse features Jubilee House, the seat of the presidency.
Their inclusion creates opportunities to discuss the women behind institutions and symbols that Ghanaians encounter regularly. It also places commerce alongside more familiar forms of public leadership.
The remaining denominations recognize five figures from different parts of national life.
The selection gives the series considerable range. Commerce and the creative arts sit alongside education, justice and political leadership. Pairing a Catholic cardinal with Larabanga Mosque is particularly striking in a denomination themed around religious freedom.
GH₵2 — CARDINAL PETER POREKU DERY (1918–2008)
Theme: Religious Freedom ⛪
A pioneering Catholic leader who served as Archbishop of Tamale and became a cardinal in 2006. He contributed to the growth of the Catholic Church in northern Ghana.
Interestingly, the reverse features the historic Larabanga Mosque, symbolizing religious diversity and coexistence.
GH₵5 — Dr James Emman Kwegyir AGGREY (1875–1927)
Theme: Education 📚
James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey was an influential Ghanaian educator and intellectual. He helped establish Achimota School and championed education as a means of African advancement.
He famously used the black and white keys of a piano to illustrate the importance of cooperation between races.
The reverse features Achimota School.
GH₵20 — DR EPHRAIM AMU (1899–1995)
Theme: Arts & Culture 🎶
A celebrated Ghanaian composer, educator and cultural nationalist born at Peki-Avetile in the Volta Region.
He composed the patriotic song “Mia denyigba lɔ̃lɔ la”, meaning “Our beloved homeland” in May 1929, translated it into Twi “Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni” in 1931. He helped popularise indigenous African music and instruments in formal musical education.
The reverse features Ghana’s National Theatre.
GH₵100 — KOFI ANNAN (1938–2018)
Theme: Peace 🕊️
A Ghanaian diplomat and statesman born on 8 April 1938 in Kumasi, the son of a provincial governor. He was born a twin, and his middle name, Atta, means “twin” in Akan.
He was educated at Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He later completed an economics degree at Macalester College in the United States and further studies in Geneva and at MIT.
He joined the UN system in 1962 and rose through its ranks to become the seventh Secretary-General, serving from 1997 to 2006. He was the first Black African to hold the post.
He was the chief architect of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and helped create the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He shared the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations.
After leaving office, he founded the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007. He served as Chancellor of the University of Ghana from 2008 until his death in Bern, Switzerland, on 18 August 2018. He was given a state funeral in Ghana.
The reverse features the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
GH₵200 — DR KWAME NKRUMAH (1909–1972)
Theme: Sovereignty ⭐
A pan-Africanist, political theorist and Ghana’s founding leader, born at Nkroful in the Western Region.
He studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania from 1935, graduating in 1939, and then earned master’s degrees from Lincoln and the University of Pennsylvania.
He returned home in 1947 to work with the United Gold Coast Convention. In 1949, he broke away to form the Convention People’s Party, launched before a crowd of about 60,000 in Accra on 12 June 1949.
In January 1950, he launched “Positive Action”, a campaign of nonviolent protests, strikes and non-cooperation with British colonial rule, and was arrested after riots followed. While still in prison, he won the Accra Central seat in February 1951, taking 22,780 of 23,122 votes. He was released the same month to form a government.
He became the Gold Coast’s first Prime Minister on 22 March 1952 and led the colony to independence as Ghana on 6 March 1957. He later became the country’s first President.
He built major national projects, including the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam, the industrial city of Tema, the Accra–Tema Motorway and the Adomi Bridge. He also wrote over 20 books on political theory and Pan-Africanism.
He was overthrown in a military coup on 24 February 1966 while abroad on a peace mission to Vietnam. He lived in exile in Guinea, where President Sékou Touré made him honorary co-president. He died of cancer in Bucharest, Romania, on 27 April 1972, and was buried at Nkroful on 7 July 1972.
The reverse features the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, home to his mausoleum and statue.
| Note | Featured Personality | Theme | Reverse Imagery |
|---|---|---|---|
| GH¢1 | Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome | Commerce | Market women trading |
| GH¢2 | Cardinal Peter Dery | Religious freedom | Larabanga Mosque |
| GH¢5 | James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey | Education | Achimota School |
| GH¢10 | Justice Annie Baëta Jiagge | Justice and equality | Supreme Court and Martyrs of the Rule of Law monument |
| GH¢20 | Dr. Ephraim Amu | Arts and entertainment | National Theatre |
| GH¢50 | Theodosia Okoh | Nationalism | Jubilee House |
| GH¢100 | Kofi Annan | Peace | Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre |
| GH¢200 | Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah | Sovereignty | Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park |
Smaller notes, stronger materials
The Bank of Ghana says the Heritage Series is designed to withstand frequent handling and Ghana’s climatic conditions. Smaller dimensions should also make the notes easier to carry and use.
The material remains cotton-based. Currency Management Director Dominic Owusu previously explained that the notes would use a reinforced, 100% cotton substrate, ruling out a switch to polymer. The redesign therefore should not be confused with the introduction of plastic banknotes.
The Bank also says it has enhanced security features to help people identify genuine notes and strengthen protection against counterfeiting. Public education will be important as people learn to recognize an unfamiliar design.
How accessibility is being addressed
The notes retain different sizes for different denominations and have enhanced tactile marks to support identification by touch.
During pre-launch consultations, disability representatives raised an important concern: tactile features can become less useful as notes wear. They called for practical testing and continuing public education, especially in underserved communities.
The Bank has also announced a Cedi App to explain the new notes and support people with visual impairments. Its effectiveness will depend on how well it complements physical features, including for users who cannot depend on a smartphone.
The systems behind the rollout
The Bank has developed its Enterprise Currency Operations Management Software, known as ECOMS, internally. The system is intended to improve coordination between the central bank and commercial banks when managing currency operations.
It also plans new cash centres in Ho and Tamale. Together, these initiatives show that the rollout involves distribution, processing, and design. Banks need the systems and equipment to handle the new series reliably once it reaches their branches.
What changes from 1 December?
The new Ghana cedi notes will circulate alongside the existing series. A familiar older note does not become invalid because a redesigned version has been issued.
The Heritage Series is not a redenomination. There is no new conversion ratio, and a redesigned GH¢100 note still represents the same face value as an existing GH¢100 note. The GH¢2 banknote returns within the eight-denomination series; no denomination above GH¢200 is being introduced.
For businesses, the transition means preparing staff and checking cash-handling equipment. For households, it means learning the new features while continuing to use valid existing notes.
The Bank plans public education in major local languages. That campaign needs to explain both sides of the redesign: how to recognize the new notes, and why the cash people already hold remains usable.
