Haliamatu Sadia Awudu writes: The Invulnerability Of The Infant Pesewas

Whenever I witness the humiliation being meted out to our lowest currency thus the 1Gp and 5Gp coin it saddens me. The 1Gp and 5Gp coin are not recognized as purchasing power for the exchange of goods and services in the Ghanaian economy with the exception of banks and supermarkets.

The 1Gp and 5Gp coin have been left out in the cold. The 10Gp, 20Gp, 50Gp, GH¢1 and GH¢2 coins as well as the GH¢2, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20 and GH¢50  GH¢100 GH¢200 notes are the only recognized as almighty dollar in our economy forgetting the 1Gp and 5Gp.

The 1Gp and 5Gp is nowhere in the open market and criticized for the size and colour, it’s different and not as nice as the others, which is silver in color. They said the size is also too small to carry, hence its rejection.

While undertaking my project not the 1Gp and 5Gp I have saved about 200 1Gp and 5Gp coins. I walked in to supermarket, bought a beverage and added about 50 pieces of the 1Gp to the notes to pay for the beverage, the cashier  accepted it and thanked me with a smile.

From there I went to Mallam Atta market to buy  GH¢2 tomato I gave her GH¢1, 50Gp and 50 pieces of the 1Gp coin,  strange and sadly enough she rejected the 50 pieces of 1Gp with insults. I pleaded with this woman but she ignored me, went on to called her fellow market women and still refused to accept the 50 pieces of 1Gp coins, she requested for her tomatoes and handed over the money to me.

It took me about 10 mins to listen to whatever that they were saying before I realized the noise any attacks in the market were not being heaped on me but on the one Ghana pesewas coin I gave her. Surprisingly, the market women, amidst anger and laughter jumped to defend their fellow markers friend and utterly condemned the 1Gp coins I gave her.

They criticized the size and color of the 1Gp coin and argued on how the 1Gp coin had become useless and no longer a recognized legal tender in our country. But luckily for the 1Gp and 5Gp coin the banks and supermarkets still recognize it as a legal tender.

An elderly woman remarked; “even if my grandson should see hundreds of those coins scattered on the floor, they will step on it, play with them and leave them on the floor once they are done”

Written by Haliamatu Sadia Awudu, student journalist,GIJ