Money in Africa
Understanding
the past and present
of a continent

Project leader
Catherine Eagleton,
Curator of Modern Money


Supported by

The Leverhulme Trust


Arts and Humanities Research Council

We commonly think of currency as something that came to Africa from outside - coins and banknotes brought by European colonisers. However, Africa has a long monetary history, going back thousands of years, and the Money in Africa project aims to show how much more rich and complex the story really is.

Africa’s monetary past and present are as diverse as they are neglected. Crossed by trade routes, expanding local states and migrant workers, and linked across oceans to the rest of the world, the regions of Africa have unique, interwoven monetary histories.

 
Cowries shells were a currency that linked West Africa to India and China for centuries
  • 1

    Cowries shells were a currency that linked West Africa to India and China for centuries

  • 2

    Ancient Egyptians weighed metal to facilitate exchange

  • 3

    Some of Africa's earliest coins circulated between the eastern Swahili coast, the Persian Gulf and China

  • 4

    Independence brought new national currencies, each revealing a vision of the past and future

  • 4

    Africa is now known as the frontier of innovative mobile banking

 

Leverhulme
research

Exploring the modern monetary history and cultures of English-speaking African countries.

Project blog

Read, project researcher, Maxim Bolt's regular posts about his fieldwork in Malawi.

Finding out how money actually works

Money in
Africa project partners

The project is working with a number of organisations and institutions across Africa

About
the project

Project outputs so far include exhibitions, conferences and publications.

Project team 

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