New bank notes that will be without the portrait of the former President of Gambia Yahya Jammeh, would be issued in Gambia. The former leader who was forced out of office in 2016 has his pictures all over Gambia currency banknotes.

The current government has initiated steps to replace all banknotes with his portrait,  in an attempt to wipe out his legacy which many considered unhealthy.

The 200 Dalasi notes were introduced in 2015, while in 2014 Yahya Jammeh introduced the 20 Dalasi notes in green to mark 20 years as president of the Gambia. 

The Gambia’s central Bank confirmed plans to issue new bank notes this month and have them in circulation this year, as the bank already got an approval to introduce new redesigned bank notes.

The banks aim was to also reduce the sizes of the national currency notes to achieve efficiency and introduce new security features.

Central Bank officials say the new notes to be released have advanced security features that would make counterfeiting difficult.

The new notes will bear features considered representative of The Gambia. New features include various bird species in the country and historical sites, according to officials. 

However, amidst this, they have been different reactions by Gambians towards the change of the bank notes, as the APRC supporters feels this is a witch hunt against their supreme leader Yahya Jammeh.