The Bank of Ghana has announced tough new sanctions against customers who issue dud cheques, with repeat offenders facing a three-year ban on cheque issuance and a one-year restriction on accessing new credit facilities from the banking system.

The measures, contained in a notice issued on June 24, 2026, take immediate effect and supersede all previous directives on the matter.

The central bank said it had acted due to “grave concern” over the high incidence of dud cheques and their damaging effect on the acceptance of cheques for transactions.

The new framework introduces escalating sanctions based on the number of offences within one year:

A first-time offender will be levied 10 percent of the cheque’s face value, issued a warning, reported to Credit Reference Bureaus and the Bank of Ghana, and placed under surveillance for a minimum of one year.

A second offence within one year attracts a 15 percent levy, another warning, and further reporting to credit bureaus and the central bank.

A third offence within one year carries the harshest consequences, a 20 percent levy, a minimum three-year ban on cheque issuance nationwide, and a one-year prohibition on accessing new credit facilities from the banking system. The Bank of Ghana may also publish the names of third-time offenders and add them to a Directory of High-Risk Cheque Issuers.

Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions (SDIs) are required to recall all unused cheque books from banned customers and stop issuing new ones until sanctions are lifted. Customers who fail to return unused cheque books within ten working days of notification will be reported to the Bank of Ghana, which may impose a ban on operating any current account.

Banks and SDIs must also display the notice in all banking halls and on their official websites, continue submitting data on dud cheque issuers to Credit Reference Bureaus, and file monthly returns to the Bank of Ghana by the 10th of each month. Failure to comply will attract sanctions under Section 92(8) of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930).

The Bank of Ghana said the measures were intended to discourage the issuance of dud cheques and restore public confidence in cheque-based transactions.