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Non-account holders can't change old
cedis at Ho banks
Ho, Dec. 27, Ghanadot/GNA-Some Banks in Ho were allegedly
turning away super market operators who called there to
change old cedis for the new Ghana cedis unless they have
accounts with those banks.
Madam Jane Addo, owner of "Chop -Better", a popular Super
Market in town specifically mentioned the National
Investment Bank (NIB) as one of the Banks, which has set
that condition.
"The banks don't collect our old notes unless you are a
customer or they ask you to pay into somebody else's account
to withdraw later," she said.
Madam Addo said she could not turn away those who brought in
the old cedis and therefore had a lot of the old currencies
in her custody, which she intended to use in purchasing her
goods from her wholesale business partners in Accra.
Mr Ransford Odenkey Abbey, Volta Regional Manager of the
National Investment Bank told the Ghana News Agency that the
grace period for exchanging the old cedi notes for the new
Ghana cedi whether one had an account or not had elapsed and
that all old cedi notes had to be paid into an account
before it could be changed.
The Managers of the Ho branches of SG-SSB and Barclays Banks
respectively told the GNA that their banks had set no
conditions for taking in the old notes from the public.
Mr. Stephen Mensah, an Official of the Hohoe branch of the
Bank of Ghana however, told the GNA that it was wrong for
any bank to set conditions for receiving the old notes from
the public.
"I will contact the banks concerned", Mr Mensah said.
At the Stadium Gate Shopping Centre, Mr Michael Martin told
the GNA that they would take all the old notes to the banks
at the end of December 2007 for new ones.
Barely five days more for the old Cedi to cease being legal
tender there appears to be no rush among the general public
to change that cedi for the new Ghana Cedis and Ghana
Pesewas in Ho.
Many shoppers are using the old currencies to buy wares from
the Super Markets and fuel retail stations, which are to
serve as the conduits for mopping the old currencies from
the system.
Taxi drivers are also receiving old currencies in payment
for fares, but some of them insist on giving out change in
the old cedis and pesewas.
Currency dealers across the border in Lome, the Republic of
Togo are said to be refusing the old cedis because their
clients were insisting on getting the new cedis in exchange
for other currencies.
" We are in Togo, and cannot cross over to the banks daily
to change the old notes and coins for the new ones so we
don't accept them," Atsu Helou, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
Forex Bureaux in Aflao were receiving the old currencies in
exchange for the new ones since, "we go to bank daily to pay
in the old one and have no problem", said an attendant who
pleaded anonymity.
Some individuals also alleged that some traders turned them
away when they went to buy goods with the old cedis and were
therefore confused as to what was happening.
They therefore appealed to Bank of Ghana to intervene to
make a smooth transition from the old currency to the new
one.
Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph Sunu, Supervising Manager of the Unity
Rural Bank at Ziope near Ho told the GNA that the bank was
accepting the old notes from the public as directed by the
Bank of Ghana without any conditions.
He said the Bank has caused gong-gong to be beaten in its
operational area to remind the public of the December 31
deadline when the old cedi currencies would cease to be
legal tender and the need to change the old cedi notes and
coins exchanged for the new ones.
GNA
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