The Bank of Ghana has admitted that the procedure used in designing the portrait of Theodosia Okoh on the new GHS50 banknote contributed to the final image bearing a close likeness to her late sister, Dr. Leticia Obeng.
An official statement issued by the bank’s Communications Department, on November 13, 2026, noted that portrait was designed using a number of pictures of Theodosia Okoh. But in the process of the design, certain adjustments, including the replacement of Mrs Okoh’s familiar head-tie with a hairstyle common during that period, were made to meet the technical and security requirements of currency production.
“These adaptations, unfortunately, contributed to the perceived differences in her appearance, and to the image bearing a close likeness to Dr Obeng,” it stated.
This admission comes after heated public debate over the last two days, following a post by the nephew of Theodosia Okoh and son of Leticia Obeng, who said that the portrait is that of his mum and not his auntie.
In an attempted response to the post, a Board Member of BoG made a post explaining the process by which the portrait was designed, but failing to admit that the portrait actually looks like Leticia Obeng more than it does Theodosia Okoh. Her post was widely shared by government communicators and even some mainstream media platform even though it was not the official position of BoG.
The bank has finally issued an official statement consistent with its own official communication processes, and that is significantly different from the post made by the board member, and also responds to the issue raised about the portrait on the ghs50 banknote.
The statement however stopped short of saying what the next steps are – whether the portrait will be redone, at what cost and what the bank agreed with the family on the way forward.
Find the full statement of the bank below:
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