5000 Francs

The BCEAO was established in 1959 as the successor to the Institut d'Émission de l'Afrique Occidentale Française, and this high-denomination note belongs to the union's earliest independent issue — printed at the Banque de France's own presses in a relationship that would persist for decades. The March 1961 signature combination, with Robert Tézenas du Montcel as one signatory, reflects the transitional administrative staffing of the period: French technocrats still occupying senior roles within nominally independent West African monetary institutions.

Henri Konan Bédié's appearance among the later undated signatories is notable — he went on to become President of Côte d'Ivoire from 1993 to 1999. Edem Kodjo, who signs in two combinations, later served as Prime Minister of Togo.