Interview with H.E. Prof. Faustin Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic

06 Oct Interview with H.E. Prof. Faustin Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic

Today the Central African Republic stands at a pivotal moment in its development: under your leadership, the country is opening to the world, advancing strategic reforms and positioning itself as a true land of opportunity. How would you characterize the current state of CAR’s economy and the potential the country holds today?

Today, there’s total peace in the Republic. There have been efforts to reconcile the people after the crisis and we are cooperating with major financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which are supporting many of our projects today. For the period 2024-2028, we have developed and implemented a national development plan that includes all the reforms we need to implement and the government’s priority programs for this five-year period. Recently, in Casablanca, this program was presented to potential investors and was able to mobilize more than $9 billion. We are currently working to mobilize these announced resources in several areas, because we have established priorities, particularly human capital and the productive sector, such as mining, agriculture, water and forests and many others.

The CAR has a lot of potential that needs to be developed. Today, in the mining sector, we still have a lot of potential. We have more than 470 mining indices. Gold and diamonds are the main resources, but there are many other strategic resources such as cobalt, platinum and other rare earth elements, as well as uranium and oil. For investors, I think these are areas in which those who are interested can come and invest this year. We have implemented major reforms to improve the business climate to work in such a way as to make our economy attractive to foreign capital and encourage investment here. We have implemented reforms in taxation, customs duties and other areas. We have created conditions to promote the banking system and, as we are also in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) sub-region, we have put in place measures to facilitate transactions in the CAR.

In terms of agriculture, we have 15 million hectares of arable land, of which I think only 3% is currently being farmed, so there’s potential for industrial agriculture, especially since it rains a lot. The country has good rainfall and plenty of sunshine. We are in a tropical zone with a tropical climate. We are currently working on our access routes. Soon, we will open Corridor 13, which goes to Pointe Noire, in deep water. We have tried to improve and rehabilitate the road that leads to Douala to provide real access to the sea, since we are a landlocked coastal country. We are also working on the airport. Since we are landlocked, we need transportation services to enable everyone who comes here to leave or arrive. We have this vision for the future to improve the work that is being done. One of the great things we have been able to do is to establish security throughout the country, so today the authority of the state extends across the entire country.

CAR and the United States have been strengthening their cooperation, with the recent Business Summit in Luanda announcing more than $2.5 billion in new commitments between US and African partners. How do you view the current relationship between the CAR and the US and what opportunities for deeper collaboration do you foresee over the next five to ten years?

First of all, I would like to say that the United States is one of our major partners here, financing the security aspect in particular. The United States invests heavily in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) — it is the leading donor supporting MINUSCA — and we also exchange ambassadors between the United States and us, so there is a good diplomatic relationship between the United States and the CAR. We really want to strengthen this cooperation.

Very recently, our Minister of Foreign Affairs had to go out of his way to meet with the US authorities. We have made yet another request for this to happen in order to discuss the issues that really affect our direct relations. And I think we are very open and very interested in cooperating with the United States. And we are going to take advantage of the announcement that was made in Luanda regarding US-Africa cooperation. And we are also preparing for this announcement in order to improve our economy.

CAR is actively strengthening its place in the regional economy: integrating into AfCFTA markets and enhancing its continental presence. Hosting the African Caucus in Bangui for the first time marked a milestone in this engagement. How do regional integration initiatives, such as AfCFTA and the African Caucus, support CAR’s development strategy and expand new trade and investment opportunities?
This is a major decision that the CAR has also signed up to. We are members of the African Continental Free Trade Area, we have already ratified it, so, this is an opportunity to expand the African market and for us to promote trade between African countries. It’s a great opportunity for the CAR, which, I repeat, is a landlocked country. We say that we have a lot of potential here. Agriculture, mining, culture too. There are many things we can bring to market and to this African free trade area.

What is the Central African Republic at the regional level? We are members of CEMAC, we are a country in this zone where we have agreements that govern CEMAC and we participate in the management, at least, of the major economic decisions that we make together with the other six states, the five other CEMAC states. We are also members of the CEAC, which is also an economic community in Central Africa, but which also deals with political and internal security issues. The Central African Republic is very much involved in this regional or African cooperation. We are very open with all our neighboring countries. There are no problems, we have no conflicts. All the more reason for partners to come here and even work across borders with neighboring countries.

In the past, the CAR experienced turbulent times, yet under your leadership the state has restored greater calm to key regions and progressed toward lasting peace. In your view, what has been most critical in maintaining stability after turbulent yearsand how do you evaluate the impact of these improvements on CAR’s long-term development?
To restore peace, we signed an agreement with all stakeholders, including armed groups. We had the political agreement for peace in the CAR which ten armed groups have now disbanded. Of the 14, at least 11 have disbanded, so legally they no longer exist. The members have returned to society, where they are now state agents in the defense sector. The CAR is undergoing restructuring and enjoying a vibrant democratic life. It is therefore a favorable climate for investment and we have never achieved such a high level of security, capacity, or at least opportunities for businesspeople as we have now.

I believe that businesspeople need to come and take advantage of the fact that the land belongs to its original occupants. So it’s time for American investors in particular to come here and invest in key sectors. There’s energy, there are services, infrastructure and telecommunications, which we’re really working on. When I was at the General Assembly, I spoke with Starlink, a new telecommunications company that will be here in a few days, whose executives will come here to meet with us in the field of telecommunications, satellite technology and other areas. These are all opportunities available to American companies.

Your presidency since 2016 is marked by a steady hand, guiding the CAR toward an era of national stability and development. What is the central pillar of your vision for the potential next term and what will be the first concrete step in your plan to secure the nation’s lasting progress?

We have truly provided a democratic foundation for the Central African Republic. For 40 years, there have been no local elections. That means that mayors and other local leaders are appointed by the central government, by me. But I realized that this does not allow democracy to reach the grassroots level. In my opinion, there needs to be accountability in local government. This means that these officials should be elected by their communities. That way, they have the opportunity to be accountable to them. I think that’s a very important, major factor in the context of these combined elections. Four elections will take place at the same time. That is, local elections, municipal and regional elections, then legislative elections for deputies and the presidential election. The die is truly cast. This is obviously a crucial moment. We, as a government, will do everything in our power to enable the National Electoral Authority, which is the body responsible for organizing elections, to prepare properly and ensure that this is a period in which the CAR emerges stronger.

These are decisions that truly show that peace is here, that democracy is taking root and that respect for justice and rights, especially human rights, is truly visible in the CAR. That, in any case, is the message I can convey. I will continue with our national development plan because this national plan was developed in a participatory manner. We sought input from all sectors of activity and all departments, the private sector, civil society, everyone contributed to the definition of this national development plan. Obviously, we established priorities because the project is very large and we need priorities, namely human capital, strengthening peace and security, working on basic social sectors, i.e., education and health and productive sectors, i.e., mines, infrastructure, energy and others, on which many projects have been presented to investors. So, until 2028, this will be our plan.

I am focusing on this to define my vision for society. I will continue what we have already started, which seems to be working well and is supported by the international community. When we presented this in Casablanca, there were many investors who made a commitment of up to $9 billion, which is not insignificant for the CAR. It is modest for some countries, but it is still important for the CAR and its economy.

Looking back, what achievements are you personally most proud of in your outstanding journey and how would you like the CAR to be seen on the international stage? What image or narrative do you hope will define the country in the eyes of the world?

Peace. National reconciliation. It was an action that the entire population approved of and is now experiencing. We cannot develop without peace. Today, people feel reassured. When you come here to the CAR, you see that the population is happy. Of course, we will continue to work on a number of issues, including health, education and so on, in a spirit of peace and social cohesion. The country was completely divided. There was talk of religious conflicts, but that is no longer the case today. Religious communities really do live in harmony. That perception no longer exists. There is no stigmatization of different communities. These are advances that I am really proud of in the actions we have taken. It has not been easy, but we have still managed to achieve them thanks to the support of the international community such as MINUSCA, where the United States has contributed significantly, providing almost half of the funding. We have also worked on justice. Because there has been a lot of violence, there are victims, so justice must be done for them. That too is something we have started and I am proud of it.

What image or narrative would you like to see define the country in the eyes of the world and what message of confidence would you give to investors?

My message and above all the perspective that I would like your readers to take away from this is that it’s true that when you read the press, when you read social media we have a bad image but I can guarantee them that this is no longer the reality. The CAR is a country with a bright future, a country where life will be good, where people will live in complete safety and confidence. We have an administration that is growing stronger and stronger and that wants to work to really attract investors because we lack internal capital here. We are forced to turn to foreign investors to give us the means to create wealth and work on employment.

Today, you have a country that is open and wants to cooperate with all countries, that does not limit itself to cooperation but is open and is currently searching for its identity. I think it is a country with a future and it is true that we are a fragile country, but we are aware of our fragility and we are resilient people who have truly demonstrated our capabilities. We have challenges, it’s true, but we are counting on investors to help us overcome these challenges together. The Central African people are a proud people.