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The Bank of Ghana has warned individuals who repeatedly issue dud cheques with a 3-year ban from cheque books and credit access in a bid to tackle the issuance of dud cheques in the country.
The bank, in revised regulatory directives issued on June 24, 2026, clarified that affected customers would still be allowed to receive funds into their accounts and carry out other electronic transactions. However, they would be denied access to new credit facilities within the banking and financial system.
According to the central bank, the revised directive became necessary because it has observed with grave concern the high issuance of dud cheques by some customers of banks and specialised deposit-taking institutions. The central bank said the development has undermined public confidence and acceptance of cheques as a means of payment.
Under the revised framework, banks and SDIs must impose a levy equivalent to 10 per cent of the face value of a dud cheque issued for the first time and issue a warning notification to the customer. The offence must also be reported to the Credit Reference Bureaus and the Bank of Ghana.
Dud cheque offenders who commit the offence a second time within a year of the first offence will face a levy of 15 per cent of the cheque’s face value and another warning notification. The customer will also be placed under surveillance for at least one year.
BoG has also reminded banks and specialised deposit-taking institutions to continue submitting data on customers who issue dud cheques to Credit Reference Bureaus in accordance with Section 25(c) of the Credit Reporting Act, 2007 (Act 726).
The central bank warned that failure to submit returns, or the submission of inaccurate or incomplete returns, will attract sanctions under Section 93 of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930).
Affected customers will be denied access to new credit facilities within the banking and financial system. However, they will be allowed to receive funds into their accounts and carry out other electronic transactions. The central bank will also publish the names of customers who become third-time offenders.
Customers who fail to return unused cheque books within ten working days will be reported to the Bank of Ghana and face an additional restriction from operating current accounts.
In a move to tackle the high issuance of dud cheques, the Bank of Ghana will publish the names of customers who become third-time offenders.
The Bank of Ghana's reminder to the public comes as part of efforts to sustain confidence in the payment system.
Ghana's banking sector has been struggling to curb the high incidence of dud cheques in recent years, with losses running into millions of cedis.
According to the Bank of Ghana, the high incidence of dud cheques has undermined public confidence in the payment system.
The revised directive by the central bank is aimed at reducing the high incidence of dud cheques and sustaining public confidence in the payment system.
The directive takes immediate effect and supersedes previous ones issued in 2021 and 2025.
Dud cheque offenders who repeat the offence will face increasing penalties under the revised directive.