Seven women have been arrested in Accra for allegedly abusing and improperly handling Ghana cedi notes for commercial purposes, the Bank of Ghana has announced.
The arrests followed a joint operation by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Ghana Police Service, acting on a tip-off that led to a swoop on the suspects at various locations in the capital.
According to the BoG, the women were allegedly using cedi notes to create money bouquets and money cakes for sale, a practice that constitutes improper use of the national currency and is prohibited under Ghanaian law.
The law prohibits altering, decorating, crumpling, tearing, or otherwise defacing cedi notes.
Dinah Bonzie, Head of Statistics at the Currency Management Department of the BoG, said investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be processed and put before the court.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG), in a public notice on July 14, 2026, warned that spraying cedi notes at occasions such as weddings, funerals, and parties, as well as making money bouquets for birthdays, graduations, and other celebrations, are criminal offences under Ghanaian law.
In the statement signed by Secretary Aimee Vyda Quashie, the BoG cited growing misuse of the currency, which it said undermines the quality, integrity, functionality, and public image of the cedi.
BoG noted that the prohibitions are grounded in the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612) and the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), which protect the cedi as the nation’s legal tender.
BoG warns against money bouquets, spraying cedi notes at events
