The Central Bank of Sudan, faced with inflation and a severe liquidity crisis, began printing a 100-pound bank note last year. It has finally been released, but not without problems.

The plan was for 100 million notes to be printed, but as of early February, News Africa Now says, long lines of people were waiting outside banks every day for withdrawal limits of only 500 pounds per day.

Reports are that the problem is that the Sudanese Money Printing Press was thus far able to print only 17 million notes. An anonymous official told News Africa that “the type of paper used in the printing was the principal cause of the problem, as it does not conform with the required specifications.”

The previous highest denomination was 50 pounds.

The 100-pound note is the equivalent of $2.10.

Inside Coin World: The two 1866 5-cent coins with different alloys: Two different 1866 5-cent coins and Arkansas paper money that was redeemable in bacon, among other things, are among the subjects of columns in the March 25 Coin World.

The 66- by 148-millimeter brown note with “civilization” as its theme, is dated January 2019, and is sophisticated in its application of modern security features.

Radio Dabanga, a Sudanese-operated news outlet, reported a different story on Feb. 3. It said that the official Sudan News Agency was reporting that Sudan’s prime minister and minister of finance were assured that the printing of the 100-pound notes was completed and that they would be used to pay January salaries. It added that printing of a new 200-pound note would begin the second week of February and that a 500-pound note was ready to be issued as well. 

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