Veteran Ghanaian satirist and political commentator Kweku Mintim-Sintim, popularly known as KSM, has criticised the government over the alleged use of a wrong portrait of Theodosia Okoh on the newly unveiled GH¢50 note.
Speaking on the KSM Show on November 13, 2026, he said he was excited about the government’s decision to honour individuals such as Theodosia Okoh for their contributions to Ghana.
He described the decision to recognise the designer of Ghana’s national flag as a great idea.
“I am very, very happy that the decision was made to actually commend people like Theodosia Okoh, who designed the Ghana flag. I think it was a terrific idea,” he said.
However, KSM expressed disappointment over the portrait used on the banknote, describing the situation as shameful and questioning how the team responsible for the currency redesign failed to identify the alleged error.
He said it was surprising that none of the experts involved in developing the new currency noticed that the image did not appear to be that of Theodosia Okoh.
“But you know what I’m going to say? I also think it’s a shame that the image was wrong. It’s a very, very sad shame. Look, these things must be prevented. My goodness, I’m trying to imagine the number of experts and the team that were put together to develop this new currency, yet nobody picked up the fact that they had the wrong image,” he noted.
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KSM further expressed hope that the banknotes unveiled by the government were only sample printouts and that the final version had not yet been printed, giving authorities the opportunity to correct the alleged mistake.
“Really, I don’t know what to say except that I’m praying what we have seen was just printouts of how it would look, and I’m hoping we have not actually printed the final version of the currency. In the final version, this must be corrected because it is a very, very, very damn shame to get the picture wrong at that level,” he added.
Controversy has surrounded the newly unveiled GH¢50 banknote following claims that the woman depicted on it is not Theodosia Okoh, the designer of Ghana’s national flag.
The note forms part of the Bank of Ghana’s new Heritage Series, which was unveiled on November 12, 2026, by President John Mahama and Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr Johnson Asiama.
According to the Central Bank, the GH¢50 note is dedicated to Theodosia Okoh, who designed Ghana’s red, gold and green flag with the black star in 1957. The note represents the theme of nationalism.
However, questions about the identity of the woman on the banknote emerged shortly after its unveiling, with claims that the portrait is actually that of Theodosia Okoh’s sister, Dr Letitia Obeng.
The allegation was first raised by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin during a press conference.
He accused the government of rushing the currency redesign in an attempt to erase the Big Six from Ghana’s history.
The controversy gained further attention when Dr Eddie Obeng, a nephew of Theodosia Okoh and son of Dr Letitia Obeng, also questioned the identity of the woman depicted on the note.
In a LinkedIn post, Dr Eddie Obeng said he was initially excited to learn that his aunt had been honoured in the new currency series. However, he said he was surprised to discover that the portrait appeared to be that of his mother.
AK/AM
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