By Comfort Sena Fetrie-Akagbor, GNA
Tema, Jan. 22, GNA — Some traders and commercial transport operators in parts of the Greater Accra Region, including Tema and Accra metropolis, are increasingly refusing to accept Ghana’s 10 and 20 pesewa coins, despite the currencies remaining a legal tender.
The practice, common among market traders and commercial ‘trotro mates,’ was often justified by claims that customers did not want these coins as change, leading to frequent disagreements during transactions.
Mr Nicholas Darko, a trader at the Tema Central Market, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the rejection of the coins stemmed from their low perceived value and the inconvenience of carrying large quantities of this currency.
“Most items are no longer priced to require 10 or 20 pesewas, so keeping the coins becomes a burden,” he said.
Mr Philip Ofori, a trotro mate operating in Tema, also told GNA that passengers frequently rejected the coins when offered as change, making it difficult for transport operators to balance their daily sales.
“When you give passengers 10 or 20 pesewas, they complain or refuse to take it, and it affects our accounts at the end of the day,” he explained.
Madam Doris Bonsu, a resident of Tema, said the practice had resulted in prices being rounded up, describing it as a form of “hidden inflation” that placed additional pressure on consumers.
She noted that the situation was worsening, particularly in commercial transactions, and had led to the near disappearance of the 20 pesewa coin from everyday circulation.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has consistently maintained that all coins: 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 pesewas, are legal tender and that it is unlawful for anyone to refuse them in their transactions.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/ Christabel Addo