Mobile phone subscribers in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad will soon be exposed to a small revolution. By decision of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), telephone credit will no longer be presented in CFA francs. A directive that follows on from the one recently given by the institution on the use of units as a means of payment.

“The BEAC takes this opportunity to recommend, through you, to the members of your association and to all the mobile telephone concession operators in Cameroon and more broadly in the CEMAC, to avoid any presentation, use or operation of telephone credit units in CFA francs which is likely to cause confusion with the legal tender in force in the Member States ”, Abbas Mahamat Tolli, governor of BEAC, explained in his letter to operators. 

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If ever this recommendation is respected or becomes quite simply imperative, the words “CFA franc” or “F” will no longer appear in messages concerning the balance of telephone accounts. The Central Bank thus wants to avoid any confusion between units and legal tender. Operators will therefore have to find something else.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer