Episode 21: Is the Eco, West Africa’s Proposed Regional Currency, Dead Before Arrival?

~ Edwin Okong'o
The proposed Eco would replace the CFA, pictured here. Photo: Edwin Okong’o.

In this episode, our guest, Kwesi Wilson, a Ghanaian-born commentator and professor of communication, joins us to discuss the viability of a regional African currency. Following the announcement in late 2019 that former French colonies were going to finally going to get rid of the CFA, there was excitement that those countries would finally achieve economic independence from the European power.

The announcement was followed by a proposal for the creation of regional currency called the Eco. This was seemingly great news, so Ghana, which is a former British colony and therefore never used the CAF, was quick to announce that it would be joining the Eco zone. Since then, the excitement has cooled as the African countries under the CFA realize that it’s easier said than done. Here we discuss some of the implications.

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Published by Edwin Okong'o

Edwin Okong’o is not your typical, stereotypical African. He is a storyteller by any medium necessary™. Okong'o is an award-winning journalist, humorist, satirist and memoirist. He received his master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied radio, newspaper, magazine, and online multimedia storytelling and editing. Okong’o’s journalistic work, provocative commentaries, and stand-up comedy performances have appeared in numerous media across the world. He is the winner of several honors, including a Webby Award for his short documentary, "Kenya: Sweet Home, Obama", which he made for the PBS program, Frontline.