The BCEAO issues commemorative gold almost exclusively for export — these pieces were never intended to circulate within the West African franc zone and were largely sold through European coin dealers in the early 1990s. The 30,000 franc face value bore no practical relationship to the economic reality of member states, where per capita GDP in 1992 placed that figure well beyond a month's wages for most of the population.
The CFA franc itself was still pegged to the French franc at 50:1 at the time of striking — a rate that would be halved by devaluation just two years later in January 1994.
The BCEAO issues commemorative gold almost exclusively for export — these pieces were never intended to circulate within the West African franc zone and were largely sold through European coin dealers in the early 1990s. The 30,000 franc face value bore no practical relationship to the economic reality of member states, where per capita GDP in 1992 placed that figure well beyond a month's wages for most of the population.
The CFA franc itself was still pegged to the French franc at 50:1 at the time of striking — a rate that would be halved by devaluation just two years later in January 1994.