- Cash Infrastructure Moves Beyond Accra as Bog Plans Two New Centres Being Ho And
The Bank of Ghana plans to establish cash centres at its regional offices in Ho and Tamale, extending currency services beyond Accra as it seeks to improve the distribution and management of banknotes.
The facilities are expected to serve businesses, financial institutions and the public, bringing cash-related services closer to users outside the capital. Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama said the centres form part of a broader effort to modernise the infrastructure supporting physical currency.
“To bring currency services closer to the people, the Bank plans to establish new Cash Centres at its Ho and Tamale Regional Offices,” he said.
The announcement addresses a practical challenge in a country where access to cash remains important for households and businesses, even as digital payments grow. If currency services are concentrated in Accra, institutions in other regions may face longer journeys, delays and additional costs when handling banknotes.
Regional centres could reduce some of that friction, although the Bank has not yet published details on the services they will provide, when they will open or how much they will cost.
Cash centres are not simply storage facilities. They can support the movement, sorting and processing of notes between the central bank and financial institutions.
The Bank says its existing Currency Processing Centres use machines to sort and authenticate banknotes and remove those that are no longer fit for circulation.
The Ho and Tamale facilities are expected to complement that work and support a more accessible network.
Their potential value will depend on how they are designed. A centre that offers only limited services may have little effect on the cost and time involved in managing cash. A facility connected to reliable transport, secure storage, processing equipment and clear procedures for supplying banks could make a more substantial difference.
The choice of Ho and Tamale gives the plan a regional dimension, but it also raises questions about coverage. Ghana’s currency needs extend across all regions, and demand can vary by population, commercial activity and distance from existing infrastructure.
The Bank has not said whether these two centres are the first phase of a wider expansion or whether other regions will eventually be considered.
The timing is also notable. The centres are part of a wider modernisation effort that includes the Enterprise Currency Operations Management Software, an in-house system intended to improve coordination and operational efficiency in currency management.
The Bank has also announced the introduction of the Ghana Cedi Heritage Series from 1 December. The new notes will circulate alongside existing notes, which remain legal tender. Together, these changes will require the central bank to manage banknote stocks, processing and distribution carefully during the transition.
Regional centres could help make that transition smoother by bringing currency services closer to financial institutions outside Accra. But they will not automatically improve access for every household or trader.
The public’s experience will depend on whether commercial banks and other relevant institutions can use the facilities effectively, and whether improvements reach customers through more reliable access to cash.
The expansion should also be assessed against its operating costs. Secure cash facilities require buildings, equipment, staff, transportation and continuous maintenance.
The Bank has not provided a budget or a timetable, making it difficult to assess the scale of the investment or the expected savings. Publishing these details would help the public understand how the project will be financed and what outcomes it is expected to deliver.
The Bank could make the centres’ performance easier to assess by reporting on practical measures: how quickly currency requests are fulfilled, how many institutions use the facilities, how much unfit cash is withdrawn and whether distribution costs fall.
Those indicators would show whether decentralising services improves the system or simply relocates existing operations.
The plan points to a sensible principle: currency infrastructure should reflect where economic activity takes place, not only where the central bank is headquartered. The next test is execution.
If the Ho and Tamale centres are adequately equipped and integrated with the Bank’s processing and distribution systems, they could make cash management more responsive beyond Accra.
Without clear timelines, service standards and public reporting, however, the announcement remains a promise whose practical benefits are yet to be demonstrated.
