Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed
ON 11 February 2024, the head of Niger’s ruling military junta, General Abdourahmane Tiani, spoke of the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali. “The currency is a first step toward breaking free from the legacy of colonisation,” he said on national TV, referring to the CFA franc inherited from French colonisation. THIERNO THIOUNE, enseignant-chercheur, directeur du CREA, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, three former French colonies, have experienced military coups in recent years. They’re now all ruled by military regimes. They also formed a new defence alliance, known as…