Kokompe(W/R), April 16, GNA- The Takoradi branch of the Ghana National Association of Garages (GNAG), has called for a comprehensive and intensified education on the re-denomination of the cedi to ensure that all Ghanaians understand the exercise before it takes off in July this year.

The Association therefore, urged the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and the Bank of Ghana (BOG), currently educating the public on the exercise, to initiate more effective strategies to ensure that their message reached every one.

The GNAG however, commended the NCCE and the BOG for their campaign so far to ensure the success of the exercise. The Association made the call at a public forum organized by the Takoradi Sub-metro of the NCCE to sensitise craftsmen, apprentices and food vendors on the re-domination, at the weekend in Takoradi. Mr. Emmanuel B. Sunkwa, Organising secretary of the GNAG, who made the call on behalf of the Association, urged the NCCE and the BOG to organise another meeting to educate the people in the Takoradi kokompe area on the re-domination.

Mr. Joseph Nikoi, Field Officer of the NCCE, explained that the re-denomination was meant to facilitate trade and ease the burden of carrying large sums of money for transactions. He asked Ghanaians not to panic or rush to convert their money into foreign currencies, saying the value of the new cedi would be the same as the old one.

Mr. Nikoi urged mechanics, traders and businessmen to display both old and new prices of their goods and services to ensure ease conversion of the old cedi to the new one to avoid confrontations with their customers when the re-domination commences. He reminded Ghanaians that both the old and new currencies would be used concurrently while the old one would cease to be legal tender in December this year.

Mr. Nikoi, however, explained that despite the fact that the old currency would cease to be legal tender, the various banks in the country would be expected to change and replace the old currency with the new one if sent to the financial institutions.