The Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe (Banco Central de São Tomé e Príncipe) has officially issued a new commemorative banknote with a face value of 50 dobras, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the country's independence (1975–2025). This is the second anniversary release commemorating half a century of statehood for the small island republic in the Gulf of Guinea — and undoubtedly one of Africa's most striking recent banknote releases.
A Banknote You Can't Confuse with Any Other
The new banknote has received the catalog number B316 (PNL) according to the Banknote Book system and is executed in a rich green-and-gold color scheme characteristic of the islands' tropical nature. Its size is 145 × 67 mm, which is slightly smaller than the size of the current circulating 50 dobras banknote of the 2018 series. Printing was carried out by the British company De La Rue, a long-standing partner of the Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe in the production of secure paper currency. The front of the banknote features two representatives of local fauna that seem to be engaged in a dialogue: the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) — a high-speed bird of prey found on the islands — and the African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), one of the symbols of the tropical forests of São Tomé. The composition is complemented by ferns, tropical vegetation, and a waterfall in the background. Positioned here as well is a portrait of Rei Amador, the country's national hero whose image has traditionally decorated the dobra since the introduction of this currency in 1976, as well as the national coat of arms and an inscription marking the 50th anniversary of independence: "50° Aniversário da Independência Nacional 1975–2025, Decreto n.º 09/2025". The denomination is executed with special optically variable ink (OVI), shifting from gold to green depending on the viewing angle, while a cocoa pod serves as a registration device — a detail that perfectly aligns when viewing the banknote against the light. The reverse side is a true geographical calling card of the country. It displays a contour map of the Americas and Africa with the equator line drawn, alongside a detailed landscape of the archipelago itself indicating the point where the equator crosses the islet of Ilhéu das Rolas. Nearby is an inscription referencing the geodetic and astronomical surveys conducted by Gago Coutinho between 1916 and 1918, as well as an image of the historical monument Marco do Equador — the famous landmark on Ilhéu das Rolas marking the spot where one can stand in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres simultaneously. The banknote is signed by the tenth signature pair in the history of the dobra — Guadalupe / dos Santos, carries the serial prefix A, and bears an emission date of 2025, although it actually entered circulation on August 21, 2026.
Why the Falcon, the Parrot, and the Equator
The design of the new banknote inherently combines nature, science, and history. The Peregrine Falcon and the Grey Parrot symbolize the richness of the archipelago's avifauna, which, due to its isolated island location, boasts an exceptionally high level of endemism — hosting a whole range of bird, butterfly, and plant species found nowhere else in the world. The theme of the equator itself for São Tomé and Príncipe is not merely a geographical curiosity, but a core part of national identity: the islet of Ilhéu das Rolas is one of the few places on the planet where the line of zero latitude passes through land, and it was here in 1936, following Gago Coutinho's survey work, that the Marco do Equador memorial mark was established, remaining one of the country's primary tourist attractions to this day. The presence of Rei Amador on the banknote pays tribute to the memory of the 1595 slave rebellion he led, which is considered one of the largest uprisings against slavery in the history of the Atlantic. Following the declaration of independence in 1975, Amador was officially recognized as a national hero, and since 1976, when the dobra replaced the Portuguese escudo, his image (reconstructed by an artist, as no portraits made during his lifetime survived) became an almost permanent element of nearly every banknote in the country.
The Second Anniversary Banknote in a Year
The 50 dobras issue of 2025/2026 continues the series of commemorative banknotes dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the independence of São Tomé and Príncipe, which was solemnly celebrated on July 12, 2025, at Independence Square in the capital. Alongside this issue, the central bank is forming a separate lineup of anniversary currency that coexists with the current circulating 2018 series (denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 dobras on a polymer substrate depicting butterflies, birds, and the central bank building), introduced after the redenomination, when 1,000 old dobras were made equal to 1 new dobra. For paper money collectors, this banknote is intriguing for several reasons: a limited thematic issue tied to a specific historical date; a fusion of environmental and historical-geographical symbolism in a single design; and the involvement of De La Rue — a security printer whose work is traditionally highly regarded in the paper money market. At present, the exact mintage of the issue has not been disclosed, and purchasing the banknote at face value (around 2.40 USD at the pegged euro rate) is only possible within São Tomé and Príncipe, meaning it will most likely appear on the secondary market at a certain premium above face value.
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