"We are not free if our financial flows are controlled," Lui Francois, head of the charitable foundation Way to Success, commented on the search for an alternative to the CFA franc.
"The one who controls financial flows is the one who is your boss," he told Sputnik Africa.
"There's a whole program of colonization through the CFA franc. The CFA franc is not just the currency," he noted, adding: "We don't want continual paternalism. That's paternalism: where we can't decide for ourselves."
"The most important thing is that we want to get rid of a certain gentleman who considers himself everything as the eternal Father. Let the children become adults. Well, that's our goal. It's that we want to have an alternative," the head of the foundation explained.
At the same time, he doesn't rule out mistakes, but rather sees them as an opportunity to learn.
To get out of "constant control", African economists are considering other options, he said and added: "What will be produced will be better than what we currently have."