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.

Fanny Pigeaud is a journalist and the author of a number of books, including A Decade of Cameroon (Brill, 2019).

Ndongo Samba Sylla is a Research and Programme Manager for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. He is the author of The Fair Trade Scandal (Pluto, 2014).

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).

'For decades, the CFA Franc question has been, for the elite of Francophone Africa, more than a mere taboo subject, a sort of shameful wound. Tongues are starting to loosen, and this book comes at a perfect time'
Boubacar Boris Diop, Senegalese novelist and essayist

'A masterpiece that uncovers, in wonderful detail, the neo-colonial politics behind the CFA Franc. It makes a passionate, convincing case for dismantling the CFA Franc, and will become a classic study in how monetary relationships are intertwined with power and national interest'
Professor Daniela Gabor, Professor of Economics and Macro-Finance, University of the West of England

'An impressive read'
Arndt Hopfmann, Senior Advisor on Economic and Trade Policy at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation

'This book makes the CFA Franc's role in the perpetuation of French neo-colonialism in Africa all too visible - thereby adding to the arsenal of knowledge for the decolonization of Africa and African development'
Anthony Victor Obeng, author of 'Decolonizing Africa and African Development: The Twenty-First Century Pan Africanist Challenge' (Peter Lang AG, 2016)

'A fascinating inquiry'
Olivette Otele, historian, author of 'African Europeans: An Untold History' (Hurst, 2020)

'A must read that engages the political economy of the post-colony by taking us back to where it all started: from De Gaulle's neo-colonial independence to Macron's fake colonial currency, showing that the transition is simply imperial domination par excellence'
Ibrahim Abdullah, Professor of History at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone