Heritage Cedi Notes Explained: When You’ll Get Them, and What Happens to Your Old Notes

TL;DR: Your old cedi notes are not turning into wallpaper. The new “Heritage Series” notes are coming soon, but the Bank of Ghana has a simple message: don’t panic, don’t rush to the bank, and definitely don’t start stuffing cash into bouquets.

The big reveal happened on November 12, 2026, when President John Mahama and Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama unveiled the new Heritage Series banknotes at Bank Square in Accra . The theme? “The Cedi, Our Future: Secure, Designed to Last.” And for once, the slogan actually matches the product—these notes are smaller, tougher, and packed with security features designed to make counterfeiters weep .

Mark your calendars for December 1, 2026. That is the official date the new notes enter circulation . But here is the catch: they won’t magically appear in every ATM overnight. The rollout will be phased through commercial banks, which need time to recalibrate their machines and train staff . The central bank deliberately built in this gap after the launch so the public could get familiar with the new designs—and to avoid a repeat of the infamous GH¢200 note fiasco, where uncalibrated ATMs simply refused to accept the new denomination .

The series covers the GH¢1, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20, GH¢50, GH¢100, and GH¢200 notes—plus a comeback for the GH¢2 note . Coins are not changing, and this is a currency upgrade, not a redenomination. Your money is still worth exactly what it says on the tin .

Here is the part that matters most for anyone with a stash under the mattress or a wallet full of crumpled bills. Your old notes are not being invalidated. They remain legal tender and will circulate side-by-side with the shiny new Heritage Series .

President Mahama put it plainly: “The new notes will run side by side with the old currency notes. They are not displacing the old currency notes. The banks will withdraw the old notes gradually until the new notes take over completely” . Translation: you can keep spending your current cash without a deadline looming over your head. The Bank of Ghana explicitly advised the public not to rush to banks to exchange or withdraw existing notes .

The gradual withdrawal means banks will naturally pull worn-out old notes from circulation as they age, replacing them with the new series. It is evolution, not a heist.

The Heritage Series isn’t just about security; it is about storytelling. Each denomination now features an individual Ghanaian icon rather than the collective “Big Six” portrait that dominated the old notes . Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome (the first Makola woman to open a bank account) graces the GH¢1; Cardinal Peter Porekuu Dery is on the GH¢2; James Kwegyir-Aggrey on the GH¢5; Justice Annie Jiagge on the GH¢10; Dr. Ephraim Amu on the GH¢20; Theodosia Salome Okoh (designer of the flag) on the GH¢50; Kofi Annan on the GH¢100; and Kwame Nkrumah on the GH¢200 .

Not everyone is thrilled—five of the Big Six were left off the new designs, which sparked some debate . But the Bank of Ghana is framing the change as a celebration of a broader cross-section of national heroes, from jurists to musicians to diplomats.

The Heritage cedi notes are coming December 1. They are tougher, smaller, and harder to fake. Your old notes still work. Don’t rush to the bank. And please—for the love of the cedi—stop spraying, stapling, and folding money into bouquets. The central bank is watching, and your currency’s lifespan depends on it .

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