The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Vicent Mnyanyika
1 July 2009
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) is conducting civic education to raise awareness on the circulation of fake notes.
A senior official with the central bank, Mr Abdul Dollar, said yesterday the exercise at the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair would raise the public's awareness on key security features on genuine notes.
The circulation of fake notes escalated in the early 1990's after the introduction of the Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 notes.
BoT governor Prof Benno Ndulu said on Monday the bank would soon introduce new notes to address what he simply referred to as "the current state of affairs".
Though there might be a number of factors behind the decision to introduce new notes, speculation is rife that the central bank wants to curb the widespread circulation of fake notes.
Since 1966, the bank has introduced new notes 10 times, with the last batch coming in 2003.
The bank usually prepares leaflets showing the main security features of genuine notes but the fight against the highly sophisticated counterfeiters has turned out to be tough over the years.
Mr Dollar said the public had a key role to play in fighting against the circulation of fake notes.
"This is why we are using the Saba Saba and Nane Nane exhibitions to raise awareness and show people how they can easily identify fake notes," he said.
Security features on genuine notes include a line containing the BoT logo, which when exposed to light changes from green to dark blue.
The BoT official said the security features could not be copied, and hence a tool the public should use to identify fake money.
He said the central bank would soon start special radio and television programmes to enhance the ongoing civic education programme.
But he also urged the public to handle notes with care to maintain their newness and reduce the rate at which the BoT was printing new notes.
"We advise people to use wallets to keep their money, and not to touch notes with wet or greasy hands," he added.
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