According to an article in The Citizen dated 8 January 2009, “The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) plans a major change of the country’s currency notes…The central bank has in a notice published in the media last month, and also posted on its website, invited tenders for the printing of the currency notes… The central bank’s invitation of tenders means that Thomas De La Rue, which has been printing Tanzanian currency, is not guaranteed continuation of the contract…The plan to change the currency, the sources said, was also partly due to the central bank’s desire to remove from the notes the signatures of two former officials implicated in various scandals. The current notes bear the signatures of former BoT Governor Daudi Ballali, who was sacked by President Jakaya Kikwete after it was revealed by an international audit firm, Ernst & Young, that the BoT lost Sh133 billion under his watch. The notes also bear the signature of former Finance Minister Basil Mramba, who is facing abuse of office charges at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam.”

Tags: Tanzania