Congo Franc
The Republic of the Congo is a separate state from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, it is usually referred to as the Congo or Congo-Brazzaville whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo is known by its full title.
The Congo is a country within central Africa and is bordered by several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The official currency used in the country is the Central African Franc. This is the currency that is used within 6 different states in Central Africa, namely Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
The currency is issued as coins on the form of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 francs. It is issued in the form of notes as 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 francs.
The currency is issued by the Central African States Bank (Banque des Etates de l'Afrique Centrale). The currency is pegged to the euro, as would be expected, given the historic French influence.
History of the CFA Franc
Whilst it may be reasonable to assume that this is a new currency that has been born as a result of countries wishing to co-operate with each other, it is actually a relatively old currency by African standards. It was brought in as long ago as 1945, to replace the French Equatorial Franc that was used in the French colonies located in the region of equatorial Africa.
These countries gained independence from France, but continued to use its currency and as a result, it became the currency used in 5 countries but in 1984, Equatorial Guinea adopted it as being their currency as well, since they previously had been under Spanish rule and then had used the ekwele, but they found that in financial terms, they were somewhat isolated, so it made more sense for them to join the CFA franc.
Getting Hold of CFA francs in the Congo
In African countries it can be relatively hard work getting hold of the local currency and to some extent, the Republic of Congo has very few ATM machines, with only one or two in the capital, Brazzaville.
Credit or debit cards can be accepted in most of the larger hotels, in Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire, but only in these two areas. In other places you will have to use cash.
As a general rule, it is best to take traveller's cheques to the Republic of Congo, because they are much safer than taking in lots of cash. You should also ensure that you take travellers cheques in the form of either euros or British Pounds, since US dollars are less preferred. Euros are the most favoured currency.
You should also be aware that the banks are not open all day, so don't get caught out. Most banks theoretically stay open until 1pm, but you will find that they actually shut the counters at 11.30, which means you can't change money after that, so the best time to go is early in the morning and given that they open at 6.30 am, there is plenty of time to get all your banking done. The banks also close at the weekend, so ensure that you exchange enough money on Friday to see you through the weekend.
Safety Issues
The two countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo are often confused with each other and there is a general confusion about which is safe to visit. Basically the Democratic Republic of Congo is a very unsafe country to visit due to the risk of violence and there are extensive warnings to travellers that they should basically stay away from this area. However, this should not lead to the assumption that the Republic of Congo is therefore safe, since it is the 'other Congo' that is unsafe: both of these countries have unsafe areas, although it has to be said that the Republic of Congo is safer than the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Anyone wishing to travel to the Congo should check with their governments foreign office or foreign affairs department to ascertain whether or not travel is safe. You should also check out which areas it is safe to travel to and ensure that your trip does not include any areas that will possibly make you vulnerable.
Congo experienced a civil war that basically wreaked havoc on the country. A peace agreement was signed in 2003 which seems to have brought some stability to the country as a whole, but there is always a risk that fighting will break out at any point, which is an issue that travellers should bear in mind before arranging a trip.
There are two main areas where problems tend to flare up and this results in rebel activities being more widespread. These are the Pool area and the area of Ubangi river that borders the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Note that this is not an insignificant risk, even the Red Cross has suspended all of its operations in the Pool area, as of 2006, due to the serious risk its workers were being placed under. The scenic and coastal town of Pointe-Noire, one of the main 'tourist' towns is accessed via the Pool area and whilst the risk of being attacked in Pointe-Noire is very low, the difficulty is getting there from Brazzaville, due to the risk of travelling along this road. Moreover, the situation is such that a permit to drive in the Pool area has to be obtained from the army, so it really is inadvisable to drive or travel by car between these two towns. The best option is to fly. It used to be possible to travel by train, but even this has become too dangerous and so the trains no longer run along this route. To some extent this gives an indication of juts how unsafe this area is. Everyone is scared of it, it is a real threat.
However, when you are thinking of booking a flight, you may hear that it is unsafe to fly on a plane in the Republic of Congo, but this is usually a case of mistaken identity. The EU has banned all aircraft services in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but as of 2008, there are no Republic of Congo airlines listed in their banned list, but it is worth checking this out before you book a flight between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. The confusion between the two countries does often lead to the Republic of Congo getting a worse reputation than it perhaps deserves! Perhaps a name change would solve things, but it does mean that before you finalise your trip, you should research carefully and make sure that you are not reading information relevant to the wrong country!
In 2008, the Congo experienced significant fuel shortages, which resulted in people fighting in the streets and there was significant upheaval for some time. Given that fuel may continue to be in short supply (since the price of oil is so high) and since food prices are also rising steadily, the situation in Congo is likely to be somewhat volatile for years to come, so pay attention to what is happening, before booking your flight.
There have been more armed robberies and car jackings in Brazzaville over the last few years and travellers are warned that they should not travel anywhere at night. However, the one very positive aspect to the Republic of Congo is that the risk of terrorism is low and overall there is a low crime rate, it is just the risk of instability that is its main security issue.
Spending CFA Francs
The Republic of Congo is not a wealthy country and so you will find that money does go quite a long way. Meals and accommodation tend to cost only a fraction of what they would cost in Europe or the US, but you can also find some top end quality hotels, particularly in Pointe-Noire.
Pointe-Noire does tend to be a little more expensive than other areas, but it is an incredibly beautiful town and the beaches are wonderful and it can offer some really good bars and places to eat. However, Pointe-Noire was once the 'jewel' in the Congo's tourism crown, but sadly, the recent sporadic violence has meant that visitors no longer are heading for Pointe-Noire, which is a shame because tourism was starting to help regenerate the economy of this area. Now it seems somehow a little 'flat'.
Brazzaville also has some great sights to offer, with an amazing range of architectural sights, which are a legacy from its French past, but you really would not expect to see them in an African country. It is also quite a sophisticated and vibrant city with some sights such as Charles de
Gaulle's house (former French President) or the Temple Mosque, or even the Congressional Palace: if you think this is an undeveloped 3rd World country, think again! This is very much modern Africa, almost up and coming and still surprisingly good value for money.
Overview
Congo is not a country that you should travel to without first weighing up the political situation and ensuring that you can travel there in safety. It is undoubtedly a very beautiful country and a real melting pot in terms of the various tribes who form the people who live there.
However, it is also volatile and this volatility has stemmed form the years of civil war and the fact that it will take this country some time to 'sort itself out'. It is always hard to know what to do in a situation like this, when it would seem like the country could benefit from travellers bringing in money and resources, however, whilst it is still quite volatile, it is always worth exercising some caution against visiting when it simply is not safe to do so.
For further advice, prior to travel, check out the advice contained on a website such as http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1092.html. Whilst this is a US state website, it provides information that will be relevant to anyone from the west who intends to travel to this area. From there, you can then find out any information that relates particularly to your own individual nationality.