Currency Converter
Common questions about African money
Is there a single African currency?
No. Africa’s 54 countries use around 42 different currencies. The closest thing to a shared currency is the CFA franc — but that is actually two separate currencies, the West African CFA franc (XOF, 8 countries) and the Central African CFA franc (XAF, 6 countries). They hold the same fixed value against the euro yet cannot be spent in each other’s zone. Full explanation, including what the “eco” is →
What is the currency symbol and code for …?
Every currency has a symbol you see on price tags (E£ for the Egyptian pound, ₦ for the naira, R for the rand) and a three-letter ISO 4217 code that banks and converters use (EGP, NGN, ZAR). When sending money the code matters more than the symbol, because several African currencies share similar abbreviations. Full table of all 42 symbols and codes →
How many pesewas make a cedi — and what are piastres and kobo?
Most African currencies divide into 100 smaller units: 100 pesewas to a Ghanaian cedi, 100 kobo to a naira, 100 piastres to an Egyptian pound. Two break the rule entirely — the Malagasy ariary and Mauritanian ouguiya divide by five, the only non-decimal currencies left in the world. Every subunit explained →
Which African currencies have fixed exchange rates?
Nine of them. Five are pegged to the euro (both CFA francs at 655.957, plus the Comorian franc, Cape Verdean escudo and São Tomé dobra), three to the South African rand at 1:1 (Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini), and the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar under a currency board running since 1949. The other 33 float. See every peg and its exact rate →
Can I buy African currency before I travel?
Often not. The Moroccan dirham, Tunisian dinar, Libyan dinar, Algerian dinar, Ethiopian birr and Eritrean nakfa are closed or restricted currencies — not sold abroad, and limited in how much you may carry out. Plan to exchange after you arrive and keep your receipts. Which currencies are closed, and what to do →
Where should I actually exchange money?
Licensed bureaus and banks in town beat airport kiosks and hotel desks almost everywhere. Bring euros for North Africa and the CFA zones, US dollars for East and Southern Africa — and bring clean, recent, large-denomination notes, because worn or old bills are routinely refused or given a worse rate. Practical guide to changing money in Africa →
Currency Directory
| Country | Currency | Code | Symbol | Per 1 USD |
|---|
Browse by Region
North Africa
6 countries · Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia
East Africa
14 countries · Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda & more
Southern Africa
10 countries · South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana & more
West Africa
16 countries · Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali and more
Central Africa
8 countries · Cameroon, DR Congo, Chad, Gabon and more
West & Central Africa
All 24 countries compared · both CFA franc zones in one table
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Quick Facts
The CFA Franc zones XOF / XAF
Fourteen countries in West and Central Africa share two CFA franc currencies (XOF and XAF), both historically pegged to the euro. They are separate currencies with the same fixed exchange rate to the euro, not one single currency.
The Rand zone ZAR
The South African rand circulates alongside — and is pegged 1:1 with — the local currencies of Lesotho (loti), Namibia (Namibian dollar), and Eswatini (lilangeni).
Redenominations are common
Several countries have re-issued currency to drop zeros after high inflation, including Ghana (2007), Zimbabwe (multiple times, most recently the ZiG in 2024), and Sierra Leone (2022, new leone SLE).
Newest currency
Zimbabwe's Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG, code ZWG) launched in April 2024, backed partly by gold and foreign reserves, replacing the Zimbabwean dollar.
US Dollar vs African currencies
Most African currencies trade at hundreds or thousands of units per US dollar (e.g. Nigerian naira, Tanzanian shilling), while a handful — like the Tunisian dinar and Libyan dinar — need fewer than 10 units to equal a dollar. Even so, none of Africa's 54 currencies are currently worth more than a US dollar outright. A high or low number-per-dollar isn't weakness or strength by itself; it mainly reflects each currency's historical starting value and any redenominations, not the size or health of the economy behind it.
Strongest African Currencies
The Tunisian dinar needs the fewest units per dollar of any African currency, followed by the Libyan dinar and the Moroccan dirham. But a low number does not mean a strong economy — it mostly reflects where a currency started and how often it has been redenominated.
See all 42 African currencies ranked, and what the ranking really means →