In pre-colonial times, African currency included ingots, gold dust, shells, iron, arrowheads, goats, salt, cattle, beads, axes, blankets, etc. This started to change from the seventeenth century. Various colonial powers introduced their own currencies to their colonies.

Today African nations have their own currencies. Here’s the top 5 most valuable currencies in Africa as of 2015, with their value in US dollars.

5) Egyptian pound (1 EGP = $0.14)

Egyptian pound, which is divided into 100 piastres, is the currency of Egypt. All Egyptian banknotes are bilingual (Arabic and English).

4) Sudanese pound (1 SDG = $0.18)

The Sudanese pound is the currency of Sudan. The banknotes and coins are bilingual.