Ethiopia's obviously got more advanced - when I went through in 2006 they had a few cash machines but they weren't hooked up to any international network.
The one advantage of USD in some places (in East Africa, and I am guessing EUR in West Africa) was you sometimes got a better deal than using the local banana currency. Everyone wants hard currency, most of all the government. So for example paying for national park entrance fees in Kenya, I seem to remember they loaded the shilling exchange rate against you so it was a good few % cheaper to pay in dollars.
Of course now the USD is worth about as much as the Zim Dollar that may all have changed...
Mike
Last edited by MikeyBee; 5 Aug 2008 at 19:47.
Reason: correction
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