The Minority in Parliament has asked the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to appear before the House to answer questions about the introduction of the new cedi banknotes, following concerns over the alleged misrepresentation of identities on some of the designs.

The caucus wants the central bank to disclose the technical reasons for the currency change, the amount spent on the exercise, the due diligence conducted before the designs were approved and the cost of reprinting any notes found to contain errors.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Ofoase-Ayirebi MP and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, made the demand at a press conference in Parliament on the 2027 Budget.

He criticised the lack of engagement with parliamentary committees responsible for overseeing the Bank of Ghana, arguing that lawmakers had not been adequately briefed on the currency redesign.

“Parliament, unfortunately, the committees of Parliament that exercise oversight on the Bank of Ghana, like our Committee on Economy and Development, have no idea what they are doing when it comes to the new currency,” he said.

Oppong Nkrumah said the central bank owed Parliament an explanation of the rationale behind the exercise and its associated costs.

“What are the technical reasons for which our currency is being changed? How much has this exercise cost us? How do they respond to the misrepresentations of identities on the face of some of the notes that they have presented? What will it cost us to reprint those notes on which identities have been misrepresented?” he asked.

The demand comes after the Bank of Ghana unveiled its new cedi banknotes under the Heritage Series on November 12, triggering concerns over the identities of some personalities featured on the designs.

A particular concern involves the photograph used to represent Theodosia Salomey Okoh, designer of Ghana’s national flag. The Bank of Ghana has said it will engage her family over the matter and work towards addressing the issue.

Oppong Nkrumah said the Minority would also seek the due diligence report on the designs and details of the officials who approved them.

He stressed that the central bank must appear before Parliament to account for its decisions.

“We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served. They will have to show up before Parliament and answer all of these questions,” he said.