Former French Colonies of West Africa: The Nine Nations of French West Africa
French West Africa (Afrique-Occidentale française, AOF) was a federation of eight colonies (later nine) administered from Dakar (Senegal) from 1895 to 1958–60. Today's independent states:
- Benin (formerly Dahomey) – Independent 1960
- Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) – Independent 1960
- Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) – Independent 1960
- Guinea – Independent 1958 (voted "No" in de Gaulle's referendum; immediate independence)
- Mali (formerly French Sudan/Soudan Français) – Independent 1960
- Mauritania – Independent 1960
- Niger – Independent 1960
- Senegal – Independent 1960 (capital of AOF)
- Togo – Note: Togo was a League of Nations/UN Trust Territory under French administration, not formally part of AOF, but historically grouped with French West Africa. Independent 1960.
Shared Legacies
- Language: French remains official in all nine.
- Currency: Eight use the CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro; Guinea uses its own franc.
- Institutions: Common legal codes (Civil Code), education structure, and membership in ECOWAS, AU, OIF.
Post-Colonial Trajectories
Divergent paths: Senegal's stable democracy, Côte d'Ivoire's economic rise then civil conflict, Mali's coups and jihadist insurgency, Burkina Faso's recent instability. Yet the AOF framework still shapes regional diplomacy and development cooperation.
Wanderlust World