In brief
In Accra, seven women were detained for selling elaborate bouquets and cake decorations made from Ghanaian cedi banknotes, a practice illegal under the country’s currency code. The Bank of Ghana and police collaborated to enforce a July warning that such misuse could lead to prosecution. Authorities say the suspects operated across the capital selling the items as gifts for weddings and other celebrations. The crackdown signals a broader effort to protect the integrity of Ghana’s legal tender amid a growing trend in the region.
Ghana’s police and the Bank of Ghana worked together to arrest seven women in Accra who were accused of selling elaborate 'money bouquets' and paper‑wrapped cake decorations made from actual cedi banknotes.
The central bank said the practice violates the currency code, which prohibits any act that undermines the value or proper use of Ghana’s legal tender.
The arrests come after the Bank of Ghana issued a warning in July that misuse of the cedi—including printing, altering, or using notes for decorative purposes—was a punishable offence.
The suspects, all women, had been operating in several parts of Accra and selling the colorful bouquets as gifts for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.
The Bank’s currency‑department chief, Dinah Bonzi, warned that anyone who facilitates or promotes the creation of such items could also face prosecution.
While the trend of money‑decorated gifts is growing in Ghana and other African countries, the recent crackdown signals a clampdown on frivolous uses of currency that could erode public confidence.
