The Bank of Sierra Leone was established in 1964, three years after independence from Britain, taking over central banking functions from the West African Currency Board. The 2004 issue marks the bank's fortieth year of operation — a period that encompassed the catastrophic civil war of 1991–2002, during which the leone collapsed in value and much of the country's monetary infrastructure was effectively destroyed. That the bank survived at all to commemorate four decades is the more relevant fact here.
The Bank of Sierra Leone was established in 1964, three years after independence from Britain, taking over central banking functions from the West African Currency Board. The 2004 issue marks the bank's fortieth year of operation — a period that encompassed the catastrophic civil war of 1991–2002, during which the leone collapsed in value and much of the country's monetary infrastructure was effectively destroyed. That the bank survived at all to commemorate four decades is the more relevant fact here.