The nakfa (ISO 4217 code: ERN; Tigrinya: ናቕፋ naḳfa, or Arabic: ناكفا or نقفة nākfā) is the currency of Eritrea and was introduced on 15 November 1998 to replace the Ethiopian birr at par. The currency takes its name from the Eritrean town of Nakfa, site of the first major victory of the Eritrean War of Independence. The nakfa is divided into 100 cents. The current series of banknotes is the artwork of an Afro-American banknote designer, Clarence Holbert, and printed by German currency printer Giesecke & Devrient.