Similarly to the convergence criteria that the European treaties set as a condition for joining the euro, the African states are asked to respect certain criteria relating to inflation rate, budget deficit and public debt. This condition is highly unrealistic: it is difficult to quickly converge volatile and poorly diversified economies on the basis of mostly cyclical criteria. Countries with high levels of inflation and public debt will be obliged to adopt restrictive measures of dubious efficacy that risk weakening them further in order to meet those criteria.

Fanny Pigeaud_ Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa's Last Colonial Curr…, loc. 345