Africa is not renowned for its technical advances or high quality of life, but rather for its poverty and deeply ingrained corruption, thus it is not expected that it would boast the strongest currencies in the world. Nevertheless, several legal tenders on the dark continent command respect on the foreign currency market; hence, this list of the highest currencies in Africa.
The lowest currency in Africa, the Sierra Leonean Leone, is one of the world’s lowest, which typifies the economical disaster plaguing the continent.
There are dozens of African currencies that are higher than the Naira, despite the fact that Nigeria has the continent’s largest economy and the highest nominal GDP, an influencing factor in currency valuation. But is any higher than the USD? Find out on this African currency ranking which medium of exchange is the highest currency in Africa.
In this article on EKO HOT BLOG, we would be looking at the some of the strongest currencies in Africa and their value compared to US Dollar.
The Kwacha is the official currency of Zambia. It was first issued in 1968 to replace the Zambian pound and today it is the 10th strongest currency in Africa.
The exchange rate is currently 1USD for about 17.37 Zambian kwacha, making it one of the most valuable currencies in southern Africa alongside south Africa.
The lilangeni is the currency of Swaziland. (The South African rand is also accepted in Swaziland). Introduced in 1974 at par with the South African rand through the Common Monetary Area, the currency remains tied to the Rand at a one-to-one exchange rate.
Swaziland Lilangeni currently exchanges for 15.61 SZL to every 1 USD
The rand is still a legal tender in Namibia, as the Namibian dollar is linked to the South African rand and can be exchanged locally.
1 US dollar will exchanges for around 15.56 NAD, making the NAD slightly less expensive than the South African Rand.
The South African Rand (SGD) is the official currency of South Africa. It is also a legal tender in the Common Monetary Area member states of Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, with these three countries also having their own national currency.
1 US dollar will buy you around 15.53 South African Rand making it the 7th most strongest currency in Africa.
Seychelles Rupee or SCR has been the currency of Seychelles since 1976, when the Seychelles Monetary Authority took over the issuance of paper money from Britain, and replaced all colonial notes issued prior to independence.
Today, Seychelles’s currency is sixth strongest currency in Africa with 1 United States Dollar currently exchanging for 13.03 Seychelles Rupee.
The national currency of Botswana is the Botswana Pula dinar or BWP, which earned the position as the 5th strongest currency in the Africa. The currency became Botswana’s official currency on 23 August 1976, subsequently known as “Pula Day”, replacing the rand at par. One hundred days after the pula was introduced, the rand ceased to be legal tender in Botswana
The pula currently
Known as the fourth strongest currency in Africa, the Moroccan Dirham was introduced in 1960, replacing the franc as the major unit of currency.
Morocco boasts one of the strongest currencies in Africa, with $1 currently exchanging for about 9.2 Moroccan dirham.
The 3rd most strongest currency in Africa is the Ghanaian Cedis or GHS. One USD currently exchanges for 7.87 Ghanaian Cedis, making it the third most valuable currency on our list.
The national currency of Libya is known as Libyan dinar or LYD in its abbreviated form. Based on its exchange rate to the dollar, the Libyan dinar is Africa’s second strongest currency. One dollar currently exchanges for 4.78 Libyan dinars.
1. Tunisian Dinar (1$ = 3.04 TND)
The Tunisian Dinar is the most valuable currency in Africa. The dinar was introduced in 1960, having been established as a unit of account in 1958. It replaced the franc at a rate of 1000 francs = 1 dinar.
The exchange rate of this currency to the dollar is equivalent to 3.04 Tunisian dinar.
The exchange rate of this currency to the dollar is equivalent to 3.04 Tunisian dinars
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