Mad rush for new currency in Tamale

Tamale, July 3, GNA- There was mad rush for the new currency at the various banks in the Tamale Metropolis on Tuesday morning when the financial institutions opened for business.

As early as 0500 hours many customers of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) had already queued at the bank premises waiting to enter the banking hall to be among the first to get the new currency. The scene at the various banks was like what happens on "pay days" when many workers have hectic time at the banks before they get their salaries.

Some customers the GNA spoke to, said they were eager to possess the new currency while others saw it as a sign of prestige that they were among the first to handle the currency and to show it to their families and friends.

The banking hall of the Barclays Bank was crowded while there was a long queue of customers waiting anxiously outside the hall. An official of the bank told the GNA that the bank was still using the old books including chequebooks, savings forms and withdrawal forms in its transactions.

Mr. Seidu Mahamadu, a customer of the bank, who had cashed 150 Ghana Cedis, told the GNA that he was happy to have handled the new currency but expressed dissatisfaction with the difficulty he had to go through before accessing the money.

Mr. Anthony Kabu, another customer of the bank, who had deposited the old currency, said he had gone through a slow and hectic process. At the SG-SSB, Mr. Maxwell Azabre, a customer, said he was very comfortable in handling the new currency, adding that it was potable but Mr. Inusah Aliu, felt uncomfortable handling the 200 Ghana cedi coins he had been given by the bank saying, they were heavy.

Only customers of the Standard Chartered Bank and the Agricultural Development Bank could access money through the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) systems, as the machines at the Barclays Bank, SG-SSB and GCB were not operational.