The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Association of Banks (GAB), John Awuah, says recent policy adjustments by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) are improving the availability of foreign exchange and supporting efforts to stabilise the cedi.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show during the launch of Cedi@60 on Tuesday, Mr Awuah said the banking sector had faced supply constraints at the peak of Ghana’s economic crisis in 2022 and 2023, when the Central Bank assumed temporary control over forex inflows from major exporters such as mining, oil and telecom companies.

“At the height of the crisis, the Central Bank took some temporary measures of having almost absolute control over the currency in terms of supply,” he explained.

“Given the level of stability we’ve had, the Central Bank has revised or unwound that policy, which is a very key one because all the market is looking for is assurance of supply.”

He noted that routing export proceeds directly to the BoG limited the ability of commercial banks to intermediate effectively. The reversal, he said, now allows mining and oil companies to channel forex through the banking system again, ensuring improved liquidity.

Mr Awuah also highlighted changes to the net open position policy, which regulates how much foreign currency banks can hold at any given time. The BoG has reduced the long position threshold from +5 to zero.

“If you are a bank and you get dollar supply, you have no business keeping it on your balance sheet,” he stressed.

“As dollars or euros are coming in, you have to offload to the market. When you do that, you improve the supply.”

The GAB CEO said the policy is designed to discourage hoarding and strengthen market confidence by ensuring forex reaches importers and businesses that need it.

Cedi@60 — themed “60 Years of the Cedi: A Symbol of Sovereignty, Stability, and Economic Resilience” — marks six decades since Ghana introduced the cedi as its national currency.

The celebration comes at a time when the government and central bank continue efforts to support sustained currency stability amid global economic pressures.

Mr Awuah reaffirmed the banking sector’s commitment to working closely with the BoG and the Ministry of Finance to maintain the cedi’s stability and reinforce public confidence in Ghana’s currency.