50 Nakfa

Eritrea's 2004 note series, of which this is a part, was the second issue from the Bank of Eritrea following the introduction of the nakfa in 1997 — a currency born directly out of the 1993 independence from Ethiopia and the subsequent need to sever monetary ties with the Ethiopian birr. The nakfa itself was named after the town of Nakfa in the Sahel region, which held symbolic importance as an undefeated stronghold during the thirty-year independence war.

Giesecke & Devrient have printed Eritrean notes since the inaugural 1997 series, giving the issues a consistent technical baseline across both releases.