Name of a Independent French West Africa

West African Federation most probably

Could have a name of one of the empires of the region, most likely Mali or Songhai.

The area is probably too broad for another geographic name such as Niger/Senegal/Soudan.
 
Federal Republic of West Africa. Except in French, obviously.

There could be some confusion between the République Fédérale d’Allemagne (RFA , BRD in french) and the République Fédérale D’Afrique Occidentale (/de l’ouest - RFAO).

I’m sure there would have been at least one movie by now where some tourist or worker who wanted to go/work in west Germany ends up in the middle of Mali because of a misprint in his contract :D.
 
iirc the federation was supposed to be one of all francophone West Africa. Lack of support (read antagonism to preserve influence) from the French and antagonism between the states reduced its effect. In the end, Senegal left due to providing more money to the Federal Treasury (Mali lacks a port) than it received. The Sudanese Republic became Mali stress its sourness at the projects failure.
 
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