When the CFA franc was introduced, notes issued by the
Banque Centrale de les Etats de l'Afrique Occidentale in
denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 1000 francs were
in circulation. 500-franc notes were added in 1946,
followed by those of 5,000 francs in 1948. In the
fifties, the
Institut d'Emission de l'A.O.F. et du Togo took
over the production of paper money, issuing notes for
50, 100, 500 and 1000 francs.
In the fifties, the BCEAO took over the issuance of paper money and reintroduced a 5,000-franc note. 10,000-franc notes were introduced in 1977, followed by 2,500-franc notes in the nineties. In 2004, a new series of notes was introduced in denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 francs. The newer notes contain updated security features and are more modern in design.
