On the 21st August 2012, the Bank of Ghana (BOG) issued the upgraded GH¢50 banknote. The upgraded version was designed to enhance the security and maintain the integrity of the banknote. According to the BOG’s Vice President, Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, though counterfeiting of the GH¢50 is not a high concern, the Bank aims to move ahead of the counterfeiters with the release of the new banknote and its improved security features.
SPARK® technology from Swiss company SICPA has been incorporated into the banknote, together with other features, providing a public recognition feature which is more technically advanced and secure than features used on the previous banknote version. It forms the shape of a cocoa pod, predominantly green in its colour, and is located on the front side of the banknote near the bottom right hand corner. When tilted, the SPARK® feature changes colour from green to blue and then back to green again, whilst displaying a rolling effect. The SPARK® feature replaces the hologram which was incorporated in the previous GH¢50 banknote.
The previous banknote version will remain as legal tender until the 30th September 2012, after which it can be exchanged at any bank in Ghana. BOG officials state that 20 million pieces of the upgraded banknote has been released into circulation already.
Banknote images to follow.
