The resilience of the CFA franc

A literature review

Bibliographic Data

ID14940437
AuthorsInesta Brunel Lendzoumbou (0000-0003-4271-627X, Nankai University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume33
Issue4
Pages541-560
Publication date2025-10-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueModern & Contemporary France (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-9489 • E-ISSN: 1469-9869
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09639489.2025.2490112
OpenAlexW4410309166
LanguageEN
References cited20

The theoretical literature on the resilience of the CFA franc and France’s monetary power in West Africa focuses on three explanatory pathways (a): the CFA franc system’s ability to flexibly adjust to periodic crises without being fully undermined, (b) the institutional entrenchment of France within the region, and (c) decision-making by West African elites. While this literature highlights France’s ability to navigate challenges and maintain influence, recent developments indicate growing uncertainty over the medium- to long-term prospects of its monetary influence. Although Paris’s institutional influence over the CFA franc is weakening, the broader organising principles embedded within its monetary framework persist in the West African political and economic landscape. Furthermore, France’s reluctance to relinquish its monetary role, coupled with a lack of consensus among CFA franc governments on abandoning the currency, reinforces its continued relevance. At the same time, emerging powers such as China benefit from the currency’s extraverted nature while selectively challenging aspects of France’s influence in the region

Physics · Political science · Sociology · Global Financial Crisis and Policies · History

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