African currency subunits explained
How African currencies divide up
Almost every African currency splits into 100 smaller units, the same way a dollar splits into cents. The names differ — piastres in Egypt, pesewas in Ghana, kobo in Nigeria, thebe in Botswana — and a few currencies break the pattern entirely.
In practice, inflation has retired most of these subunits from daily use. You will hear them named and see them printed on coins, but in many countries no shop prices anything in them any more.
The three that break the rule
Madagascar — the ariary divides by five, not 100
The Malagasy ariary is one of only two currencies in the world that is not decimal. One ariary equals five iraimbilanja, a survival of the pre-decimal system. Malagasy ariary guide →
Mauritania — the ouguiya also divides by five
The Mauritanian ouguiya is the other non-decimal currency: one ouguiya equals five khoums. Mauritanian ouguiya guide →
Libya and Tunisia — a thousand, not a hundred
The Libyan dinar divides into 1,000 dirhams and the Tunisian dinar into 1,000 millimes, following the Arab dinar tradition rather than the decimal-cent model. Tunisian prices are routinely written to three decimal places for this reason. Tunisian dinar guide →
Every African currency by subunit
100 cents — 12 currencies
Kenyan Shilling, Leone, Liberian Dollar, Lilangeni, Mauritian Rupee, Nakfa, Namibian Dollar, Seychellois Rupee, Somali Shilling, South African Rand, Tanzanian Shilling, Zimbabwe Gold
100 centimes — 5 currencies
Algerian Dinar, Central African CFA Franc, Moroccan Dirham, Rwandan Franc, West African CFA Franc
100 piastres — 3 currencies
100 cêntimos — 2 currencies
100 centimes (rarely used) — 2 currencies
100 centavos — 2 currencies
100 thebe — 1 currency
No widely used subunit — 1 currency
100 centimes (largely unused) — 1 currency
100 butut — 1 currency
100 santim — 1 currency
100 pesewas — 1 currency
100 centimes (defunct) — 1 currency
1,000 dirhams — 1 currency
100 lisente — 1 currency
5 iraimbilanja (non-decimal) — 1 currency
100 tambala — 1 currency
100 kobo — 1 currency
5 khoums (non-decimal) — 1 currency
1,000 millimes — 1 currency
100 cents (rarely used) — 1 currency
100 ngwee — 1 currency
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pesewas make a cedi?
100 pesewas make one Ghanaian cedi. Pesewa coins are still issued, though inflation means small denominations are rarely used for everyday purchases.
How many kobo are in a naira?
100 kobo make one Nigerian naira. Kobo coins have effectively fallen out of circulation and prices are quoted in whole naira.
What is a piastre?
The piastre is the subunit of the Egyptian, Sudanese and South Sudanese pounds — 100 piastres make one pound. Egyptian piastre coins are still minted.
Which African currency is not decimal?
Two are: the Malagasy ariary, which divides into five iraimbilanja, and the Mauritanian ouguiya, which divides into five khoums. They are the only non-decimal currencies left in the world.
How many millimes are in a Tunisian dinar?
1,000 millimes make one Tunisian dinar, which is why Tunisian prices are often written with three decimal places rather than two.