Africa's Last Colonial Currency: The Cfa Franc Story - Hardcover

by Fanny Pigeaud (Author), Ndongo Samba Sylla (Author), William Mitchell (Foreword by)

Colonialism persists in many African countries due to the continuation of imperial monetary policy. This is the little-known account of the CFA Franc and economic imperialism. The CFA Franc was created in 1945, binding fourteen African states and split into two monetary zones. Why did French colonial authorities create it and how does it work? Why was independence not extended to monetary sovereignty for former French colonies? Through an exploration of the genesis of the currency and an examination of how the economic system works, the authors seek to answer these questions and more. As protests against the colonial currency grow, the need for myth-busting on the CFA Franc is vital and this exposé of colonial infrastructure proves that decolonization is unfinished business.

Author Biography

Fanny Pigeaud is a French journalist who works with Mediapart and Le Monde diplomatique, amongst other outlets. She is co-author of Africa's Last Colonial Currency: The CFA Franc Story and author of A Decade of Cameroon.

Ndongo Samba Sylla is a Senegalese development economist. He has previously worked as a technical advisor at the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal, and is the Africa Director of the International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs). He is the co-author of Africa's Last Colonial Currency: The CFA Franc Story and author of The Fair Trade Scandal.

William Mitchell is Professor of Economics at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is considered one of the world's leading heterodox economists and is the author of Reclaiming the State (Pluto, 2017).