The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) points the finger at the promoters of gambling for being at the origin of the scarcity of coins, which users in the sub-region complain about.

The bank's board of directors met earlier this month in Douala, Cameroon. To this end, members requested the Governor of the BEAC to take measures to protect the Central African subregion against the risks of coin shortages.

"The Board authorized the Government of the Bank, on the one hand, to take steps with the States of the CEMAC, with a view to prohibiting the use of coins in gambling halls, and on the other hand, to define a multi-year plan for the provision of coins for the benefit of the population. " said the council in its press release on April 2.

The proposed ban on coins in gaming halls in the Cemac zone (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) follows numerous complaints in Cameroon, Congo and Chad. Asian promoters are releasing coins of 50 and 100 CFA francs in large quantities for the manufacture of jewelry abroad, deplore the monetary authorities.

This scarcity of coins is often the cause of disputes between customers and merchants. This is the case in public transport in Brazzaville, where customers and bus or taxi drivers ignite against each other over currency.

Studies on the needs of the public are regularly carried out by the services of the central management of the programme, but the results are still awaited. As well as significant supplies of monetary signs from the centers that are made in order to distribute new and/or valid banknotes and coins, etc. to all the countries of the zone.

In December 2018, the governor of the BEAC, Abbas Mahamat Tolli, promised to launch an investigation into this phenomenon of exporting coins out of the CEMAC zone.