The African franc zone and other French-speaking economies in the region contain many of the world’s poorest countries and fragile post-conflict countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. But the economic upturn of sub-Saharan Africa is being reflected in a range of positive trends, such as an inflow of banks into the franc zone region – including a solid showing of Moroccan and other Arab institutions, as well as European banks – and the development of local markets.
Although in some respects the region has not performed as well as others in Africa – reflected in the negative current account balances shown in the table from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – the franc zone is widely praised for its economic stability, generally low rates of inflation and potential for plenty more growth as economies reform.
