West African CFA franc

West African CFA franc
franc CFA BCEAO (French)
Current coins of the West African CFA franc.
ISO 4217
Code	XOF
Number	952
Exponent	0
Denominations
Subunit
1/100	centime
Symbol	CFA
centime	c
Nickname	céfa, franc
Banknotes	500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 francs
Coins	1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 250, 500 francs
Demographics
User(s)	Benin  Burkina Faso  Guinea-Bissau  Ivory Coast  Mali  Niger  Senegal  Togo
Issuance
Central bank	Central Bank of West African States
Website	www.bceao.int
Valuation
Pegged with	euro = 655,957

Usage of:
     West African CFA franc
     Central African CFA franc

The West African CFA franc (French: franc CFA; Portuguese: franco CFA or simply franc, ISO 4217 code: XOF) is the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. These eight countries have a combined population of 105.7 million people (as of 2014),^[1] and a combined GDP of US$78.4 billion (as of 2012).^[2]

The acronym CFA stands for Communauté Financière d'Afrique ("Financial Community of Africa") or Communauté Financière Africaine ("African Financial Community").^[3] The currency is issued by the BCEAO (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, "Central Bank of the West African States"), located in Dakar, Senegal, for the members of the UEMOA (Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine, "West African Economic and Monetary Union"). The franc is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes but no centime denominations have been issued.

The Central African CFA franc is of equal value to the West African CFA franc, and is in circulation in several central African states. They are both the CFA franc.

History

The CFA franc was introduced to the French colonies in West Africa in 1945, replacing the French West African franc. The West African colonies and territories using the CFA franc were Ivory Coast, Dahomey, French Sudan, Mauritania, Niger, Sénégal, Togo and Upper Volta. The currency continued in use when these colonies gained their independence, except in Mali (formerly French Sudan), which replaced at par the CFA franc with its own franc in 1961.

In 1973, Mauritania replaced the CFA franc with the ouguiya at a rate of 1 ouguiya = 5 francs. Mali readopted the CFA franc in 1984, at a rate of 1 CFA franc = 2 Malian francs. The former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc in 1997,^[4] replacing the Guinea-Bissau peso at a rate of 1 CFA franc = 65 pesos.

Coins

In 1948, aluminium 1- and 2-franc coins were introduced. These were followed in 1956 by aluminium-bronze 5, 10 and 25 francs. All carried the name Afrique Occidentale Française. In 1957, 10- and 25-franc coins were issued with the name of Togo added. From 1959, coins have been issued by the BCEAO.

Nickel 100-franc coins were introduced in 1967, followed by the cupro-nickel 50-franc coins in 1972. Small, steel 1-franc coins were introduced in 1976 (struck until 1995), followed by bimetallic 250 francs in 1992 (struck until 1996). In 2003, bimetallic 200- and 500-franc coins were introduced.

Banknotes

When the CFA franc was introduced, notes issued by the Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique Occidentale in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 1000 francs were in circulation. 500-franc notes were added in 1946, followed by those of 5,000 francs in 1948. In 1955, the Institut d'Emission de l'A.O.F. et du Togo took over the production of paper money, issuing notes for 50, 100, 500 and 1000 francs.

In 1959, the BCEAO took over the issuance of paper money and reintroduced a 5,000-franc note. With the exception of a few early issues, the notes of the BCEAO carry a letter to indicate the country of issuance. 50-franc notes were last issued in 1959, with 100 francs not issued since 1965. 10,000-franc notes were introduced in 1977, followed by 2,500-franc notes in 1992

In 2004, a new series of notes was introduced in denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 francs, with the 500-franc note having been replaced by a coin the year before. The newer notes contain updated security features and are more modern in design. The change was welcomed because of a perception that the old notes were dirty and disease-ridden (1). The colour of the 5,000-franc note was changed from blue to green. On November 30, 2012, the Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (Central Bank of the West African States) issued a 500 franc banknote.^[5][6]

See also

• Central African CFA franc
• Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• African and Malagasy Union (AMU)
• African Central Bank

General:

• Monetary union
• Economy of Benin
• Economy of Burkina Faso
• Economy of Guinea-Bissau
• Economy of Ivory Coast
• Economy of Mali
• Economy of Niger
• Economy of Senegal
• Economy of Togo

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Money of the West African monetary union.

• (in French) Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) (Official Site of the West African Economic and Monetary Union)
• West African CFA franc Banknotes
• West African CFA franc Coins
• "The Many Varieties of West African States Banknotes" by Weldon D. Burson