Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison has urged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to intensify public education on the proper handling of currency notes.

He raised this concern when a 5-member delegation, led by the Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy, paid a courtesy call on him and management of Bank of Ghana to seek mutually-beneficial relationships between the two institutions.

According to Dr. Addison, some Ghanaians handle currency notes poorly and urged the NCCE to play a key role in the Bank’s “Clean Notes Campaign” initiative, including helping to educate citizens on the proper handling of the Ghana currency notes.

He further stated that some Ghanaians are averse to the use of coins and explained the importance of using coins in purchasing items and trading, adding that, it is more durable and less costly to produce than currency notes.

He posits that Ghanaians aversion towards the use of coins has an impact on pricing, as vendors avoid the use of coins by rounding off prices and this negatively impacts the Central Bank’s inflation objective.

Dr. Addison charged the NCCE to collaborate with the Bank of Ghana to educate Ghanaians on the need to handle the currency properly.

On her part, the Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy mentioned that the purpose of the visit was to introduce herself as the newly appointed Chairperson of the NCCE and to also discuss areas of mutual collaboration.

Ms. Addy reiterated the key role played by the NCCE in the education and sensitisation of the Ghanaian populace during the Bank’s Cedi redenomination exercise in 2007.

She also expressed her profound gratitude to the Governor for the warm reception at the Bank and welcomed the proposal to intensify public education on the proper handling of the Ghana currency notes.

The Chairperson was accompanied by a Commission Member, Lawyer Victor Brobbey; the Acting Commission Secretary, Lucille Hewlett Annan; the Director of Programmes, Dr. Imurana Mohammed and the Director of Finance, Ms. Monica Mamattah.

In the Governor’s team were the First and Second Deputy Governors, Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi; the Director of Research, Dr. Philip Abradu-Otoo; the Bank’s Secretary, Sandra Thompson and other officials of the Bank.