Accra: Residents and traders along La Police Road and parts of Oko-Dan in Accra are facing difficulties as the 20 Pesewa coin disappears from daily transactions. Although the coin remains legal tender, its use in small purchases has become increasingly challenging, causing inconvenience to both residents and traders.
According to Ghana Web, residents said spending the 20 Pesewa coin had become difficult, with many traders refusing to accept it due to low demand from customers and transport operators. Lydia Badu, a resident of La Police Road, recounted that after receiving 20 Pesewa coins as change for buying cassava and corn dough, three different shops rejected the coins when she attempted to use them. She said shop owners explained that customers no longer accepted the coins, adding that the situation had created tension among customers, traders, and transport operators.
Lydia Badu expressed her frustration, stating, "What should have been a simple purchase became stressful. I was left with money I couldn't use. Some traders insist they are not rejecting the coins out of personal choice but due to pressures from customers and transport operators."
Sedrick Owusu, a trader along La Police Road, mentioned that shop owners were sometimes compelled to reject the coins because customers often paid with large amounts, sometimes up to GHS20, entirely in 20 Pesewa coins. He said that such payments slowed service and prompted complaints from other customers, noting that the challenge had intensified around mid-2025 when fuel price increases led customers to refuse the coins as change. Owusu added that some minibus mates also rejected the coins, arguing that returning them as change often resulted in disputes with passengers.
Stephanie Torgbor, a shop owner, highlighted that although she could personally use the coins, the main challenge was reissuing them to customers who did not want them. She mentioned that to avoid frequent disputes, she stopped accepting the coins, noting that the practice had become common among shops, markets, and transport operators in the area.