- Dr Asiama Leads Cedi@60 Green Drive, Positioning BoG at the Intersection of Monetary Stability and Climate Risk
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has placed environmental sustainability at the heart of its Cedi@60 commemoration, with Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama on November 20 leading a symbolic tree-planting exercise at the Bank Square, a move positioned as both a gesture of legacy and a signal of policy alignment with climate-risk mitigation efforts.
The event, held at the Bank’s headquarters in Accra, marked the beginning of the central bank’s pledge to plant 60 trees in honour of the 60th anniversary of the Ghana cedi. While tree-planting initiatives are not unusual across state institutions, the central bank’s decision to anchor this gesture within the narrative of currency resilience and macroeconomic stability adds a strategic layer to an otherwise ceremonial exercise.
The Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Asiama was joined by First Deputy Governor Dr. Zakari Mumuni, senior executives, and staff who collectively participated in planting seedlings at designated areas within the bank’s premises and other BoG office locations across the country. The initiative, BoG says, forms part of its broader environmental commitment as it reassesses operational sustainability within the institution’s internal ecosystem.
Speaking during the ceremony, Governor Dr. Asiama drew a direct link between the resilience symbolised by trees and the resilience Ghana seeks in its currency and broader macroeconomic framework.
“Trees represent life and are crucial for the environment and our well-being. The resilience of trees helps in addressing climate risk, something the Bank is committed to,” the Governor said.
“As we celebrate Cedi@60 to showcase our economic resilience, we plant these trees to demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability.”
His remarks subtly echoed the Bank’s recent policy posture: that climate risk is increasingly becoming a financial-stability concern. In recent years, central banks globally, from the Bank of England to the European Central Bank, have elevated climate considerations within monetary policy, financial-sector supervision, and reserve-management frameworks. BoG’s latest action, while modest, aligns Ghana with a growing global trend in central-bank governance.
The presence of the First and Second Deputy Governors, Dr. Zakari Mumuni and Mrs. Matilda Asante-Asiedu, who planted trees at different BoG facilities, provided further institutional weight to the initiative, signalling an intention to integrate sustainability across all levels of its administration. According to the Bank, the activity “reaffirms the BoG’s dedication to sustainability, responsible stewardship, and national development,” framing the effort as more than a symbolic anniversary gesture.
Analysts note that as Ghana navigates post-IMF programme reforms, currency stability and institutional credibility remain central to investor confidence. Though environmental gestures do not directly influence exchange-rate dynamics, they contribute to soft-power signalling, portraying the Bank as modern, forward-looking, and aligned with global governance norms.
For many observers, the timing is notable. Amid the lingering aftershocks of Ghana’s historic domestic debt restructuring and the pressure on policymakers to rebuild trust, the BoG’s Cedi@60 celebrations have been intentionally moderate, with messages focused on resilience, discipline, and long-term thinking, characteristics central banks often seek to embody.
This tree-planting exercise, though small in scale, is the latest step in that narrative strategy.
Beyond the institutional messaging, environmental groups have long argued that Ghana’s financial institutions should play a stronger role in green-finance mobilisation, climate-risk disclosure, and sector-wide emission reduction. BoG’s gesture may therefore be seen as consistent with the gradual movement towards a greener financial architecture, including sustainable banking principles and climate-related reporting frameworks.
As the Cedi@60 anniversary continues, the Bank is expected to roll out additional activities that reflect on the evolution of Ghana’s currency, strengthen public confidence in the monetary system, and project a forward-looking vision for the next six decades.
For now, the seedlings planted at the Bank Square stand as both a symbolic reminder of the cedi’s endurance and a quiet signal of BoG’s recognition of its role in Ghana’s climate-transition journey.
