After Two Decades, Ghana Is Redesigning Its Cedi With Heritage on Every New Note

Ghana is getting a new look for its money.

The Bank of Ghana willintroduce an upgraded series of cedi banknotes on November 3, 2026, bringing new designs, stronger security features and more durable notes into circulation.

The new series is called the Heritage Series, and it will cover eight denominations: GH¢1, GH¢2, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20, GH¢50, GH¢100 and GH¢200.

The GH¢2 note will be reintroduced as part of the series while the existing notes will still remain in circulation alongside the new ones.

So what exactly is Ghana changing?

The new notes will tell Ghana's story

The Bank of Ghana has not released the actual designs yet. Those are expected to be unveiled when the Heritage Series is officially launched at Bank Square in Accra on November 3.

The redesign is also an opportunity to put Ghanaian history, culture and identity more prominently on the country's currency.

The central bank saysthe notes will feature national heroes, monuments, cultural motifs and other Ghanaian iconographic elements. Each denomination is being designed to tell part of Ghana's story while looking towards the country's future.

The series carries the theme "The Cedi, Our Future: Secure, Designed to Last."

There is some history behind the timing too.

Ghana introduced the re-denominated cedi in 2007, when 10,000 old cedis became GH¢1. The reform was intended to simplify transactions and reduce some of the difficulties created by the large numerical values of the old currency.

The banknotes have been updated at different points since then. The Heritage Series is the latest effort to modernise the physical notes as the technology surrounding currency security changes.

Security is a big reason for the redesign

The new notes are being built for an environment where counterfeiting techniques and security technology have both become more sophisticated.

The Bank of Ghana says the current banknote designs have been in circulation for more than two decades, making periodic modernisation necessary. The Heritage Series will therefore carryenhanced security features intended to make the notes harder to counterfeit.

Durability is another part of the upgrade.

Ghana is not moving to polymer banknotes. The new notes will continue to use a 100% cotton substrate, but the material will be reinforced to help the notes withstand prolonged circulation.

That has a practical benefit for the central bank. Notes that remain usable for longer do not need to be replaced as frequently, helping reduce the cost of managing and replacing damaged currency.

The Bank of Ghana is also asking people to play their part. It has urged traders, businesses, financial institutions and the wider public to stop crumpling, writing on or stapling notes, as well as using them for money bouquets, spraying, showering and other decorative purposes. Poor handling shortens the useful life of banknotes and increases replacement costs.

No GH¢500, and no need to change your cash

One of the questions surrounding the announcement was whether Ghana was preparing to introduce a higher-value note, it isn't.

The Bank of Ghana has said the Heritage Series will retain the existing denominations, with no new denomination above GH¢200. The exercise is about upgrading the notes Ghana already uses.

And if there are still old cedi notes in your possession when November 3 arrives, they remain usable.

The existing notes will continue to be legal tender and co-circulate with the Heritage Series. There is no need for the public to rush to banks to exchange them.

The Bank of Ghana will also carry out public education around the new notes, including how to recognise their security features and authenticate them.

That makes the Heritage Series less of a sudden currency change and more of a gradual update to the money Ghanaians already use every day.

The cedi will still be the cedi, while the notes carrying it are simply getting a new generation.