Abstract

Economic development in many Sub-Saharan African countries has been restricted by obstacles such as political instability, population expansion, environmental degradation, and poor technical support systems. However, one group of countries, known as the Franc Zone, experienced economic growth from the 1960s through the early 1980s. This paper provides an overview of the Franc Zone and its economic history, followed by recent economic and market profiles of three of its larger agricultural-based economies: Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and Senegal.