Ghana's Heritage cedi notes reach the public through banks from 1 December 2026, while existing notes stay legal tender and circulate side by side.

Published 12 Nov 2026, 12:47 GMTUpdated 12 Nov 2026, 13:16 GMT

4 min read

Bank of Ghana graphic showing the eight Ghana Heritage Series banknote denominations, GH¢1 to GH¢200 — The Ghana Heritage Series banknotes: GH¢1, GH¢2, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20, GH¢50, GH¢100 and GH¢200

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Ghana's new Heritage Series cedi notes will enter circulation from 1 December 2026, and the banknotes already in your pocket remain legal tender alongside them.

President John Dramani Mahama launched the upgraded series at the Bank Square in Accra on Thursday. It is the first change to the cedi's core designs in more than two decades; the Bank of Ghana unveiled the notes under the theme "The Cedi, Our Future: Secure, Designed to Last".

What's new on the notes

The series keeps the eight denominations already in use: GH¢1, GH¢2, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20, GH¢50, GH¢100 and GH¢200, as the bank's launch-day graphic confirms.

Each denomination carries its own design drawn from national heroes, historic sites, monuments and Adinkra symbols, according to Governor Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama. See who and what is on each of the new notes, from Kwame Nkrumah on the GH¢200 to Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome on the GH¢1.

The notes carry enhanced security features, which the bank says will make counterfeiting harder and genuine notes easier to identify. The education campaign and the Cedi App are meant to teach the public how to check them.

The paper is reinforced cotton, which Mahama said is designed to last longer than the notes it replaces. The new notes are also smaller and more portable than the current series, so they are easier to handle and carry.

When you'll get them

The Governor said the Heritage Series enters circulation from 1 December 2026. The notes will reach the public through commercial banks.

Our reporting has suggested the notes could start moving through banks in early December, roughly two weeks after the launch.

Thursday's event was the unveiling, not the release. No Heritage note can be spent yet.

Is my old cedi still good?

Yes. The existing series remains legal tender, and the two series will circulate side by side. The bank says there is no need to rush to exchange or withdraw your old notes.

"The new notes will run side by side with old currency notes. We are not displacing the old currency notes," Mahama said at the launch, adding that banks would withdraw the old notes gradually until the new ones take over completely.

How to check a genuine note

Check it against a genuine note of the same value that came from somewhere else.
Open it out and examine both sides.
Check the security features before accepting it.
Treat soiled or apparently repaired notes with caution.
Take a suspect note to the bank for verification, and report suspected counterfeits to the police.

The bank is also launching a Cedi App to teach the public the new features and to assist people with visual impairments.

What else BoG announced

New Cash Centres at the bank's Ho and Tamale regional offices, putting currency services closer to residents of the Volta and Northern regions.
ECOMS, an Enterprise Currency Operations Management Software system built in-house to link the bank and commercial banks in managing currency operations.
A new Currency Act to replace the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), with tougher penalties for counterfeiting and clear procedures for detecting, surrendering, authenticating and destroying fake notes.
A nationwide public education campaign across all regions in major local languages.

Handle with care

Asiama urged the public to stop all forms of currency abuse, including writing on notes, stapling bundles, crumpling, spraying cash at events and turning notes into money bouquets.

The bank repeated the warning in an advisory two days before the launch, after working with the police in October to arrest seven people over commercial money bouquets and money cakes. Defacing or misusing the cedi is a punishable offence.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Heritage cedi notes explained: when you&#39;ll get them, and what happens to your old notes

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Heritage cedi notes explained: when you'll get them, and what happens to your old notes