5000 Francs

The Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale — the BEAC — was established in 1972 following a restructuring of the franc zone's central banking arrangements in central Africa, replacing the earlier BCEAEC framework. Cameroon's designation as "République Unie" on this note reflects the 1972 federal merger between East and West Cameroon, a constitutional change that itself lasted only until 1984 when the "Unie" was quietly dropped.

The Banque de France printed this series under the longstanding technical assistance agreements governing CFA franc production — Paris retained that contract for decades. The P#17 designation places this among the early BEAC-era issues before the series was substantially redesigned in the late 1970s.