Reliable Bangui: Russia and the Central African Republic will create a trade commission

Russia and the Central African Republic will establish an intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, Vladimir Putin said on March 5 at talks with the country's leader, Faustin-Arcange Touadera. Experts note the prospects for cooperation, but point to the economic difficulties of the country, which may eventually slow down the implementation of major projects. The country is experiencing serious problems in the energy sector, which the authorities are trying to solve with the support of Russia. Our instructors are training the local army, which is why, in particular, presidential elections were held in the country at the end of last year.

How were the elections in the Central African Republic

CAR President Faustin-Arcange Touadera met with Vladimir Putin on March 5. The African leader is a frequent visitor to Russia — this visit was the eighth since he came to power in 2016. But this trip to Moscow was his first since his re-election at the end of 2025.

— Let me once again personally congratulate you on the election results. We sincerely wish you success, and, of course, the fact that the citizens of the country voted for you and you won a convincing victory shows that, on the whole, people support the policy that you are pursuing to strengthen the domestic political, security, and economic situation," Vladimir said. Putin.

Elections in the Central African Republic were held on December 28: Touadera won 76.2% of the vote with a turnout of 52.4%. The African leader thanked Vladimir Putin for Moscow's help in organizing the elections.

— She made these elections possible by providing security. Russian structures are working on our territory to help us ensure safe conditions and favorable conditions for holding elections, so that they take place without problems. And thus, the people of the Central African Republic have a chance to choose their president," said Faustin-Arcange Touadera.

Russian instructors are actively training local military personnel. Moscow is also the main supplier of small arms, ammunition and armored vehicles for the needs of the CAR army. The key threat to the country's security is armed insurgent and criminal groups that are trying to establish control over certain territories, attacking security forces and infrastructure facilities. We are talking about such armed groups as the Coalition of Patriots for Change and 3R. In 2018, representatives of the latter fired at a car with Russian journalists — all three died.

The conversation between the presidents took place not only in an expanded format with the participation of delegations, but also face-to-face over a working lunch. The agenda turned out to be quite broad: These include security issues, humanitarian aid, culture, and, of course, the economy.

— As far as the economy is concerned, we are planning a very timely decision, in my opinion, namely the creation of an intergovernmental commission that will deal with trade and economic relations. In my opinion, we have good prospects here in the energy sector, agriculture, and infrastructure," Vladimir Putin stated.

The difficult situation in the Central African Republic with energy

At their meeting, the presidents touched upon cooperation in the energy sector. Faustin-Arcange Touadera thanked the Russian side for supplying hydrocarbons.

— We are experiencing a difficult situation in this area at the moment. Your help has helped resolve difficulties in this sector, which is important for the economy and for the whole country. Of course, during the discussions we will touch upon the issues of revolver supply chains (a procurement system in which a new purchase order is placed even before the previous one is received. — Ed.), — said Faustin-Arcange Touadera.

The energy situation in the Central African Republic is indeed very difficult: there are few power plants, their capacity is low, and the power grid infrastructure is outdated, Vsevolod Sviridov, deputy director of the HSE Center for African Studies, explained to Izvestia. At the same time, the Russian Federation could already help the country.

"In the short term, cooperation is possible through the supply of petroleum products, the supply of energy equipment, including diesel generators, participation in personnel training, and the development of strategies," he said.

At the same time, there is no need to talk about large-scale energy projects yet. Moscow and Bangui have been discussing issues in this area for almost a decade, but not a single profitable project has been presented. The fact is that the Central African Republic simply has nothing with which to finance such projects, and Russia cannot implement them for free, Sviridov explained. This is also why, for example, plans for the construction of a small nuclear power plant have not been implemented. Although the fact that such a project is being discussed with Rosatom was previously reported to Izvestia by the CAR ambassador in Moscow, Leon Dodonu-Punagaza.

In recent years, the Central African Republic has faced serious economic problems, including due to a sharp decline in foreign aid, primarily from France, the former metropolis, Alexander Shipilov, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with Izvestia.

— Power outages are a problem for many African countries, including those richer than the Central African Republic. There are great difficulties with external fuel supplies. Russia has agreed to a free shipment of fuel and grain to the country. After all, food security is also an acute problem in the Central African Republic," he explained.

Russia can also supply fertilizers to the country or, for example, develop the local telecommunications industry, Shipilov stressed.

"But given the continuing difficult economic situation in the Central African Republic and the high risks of operating in this market, it is doubtful that the interest of private Russian companies in this market will be very high," the expert said.

Russia regularly supplies wheat to the Central African Republic as humanitarian aid free of charge. In March 2025, she shipped a batch of turkey meat for the first time.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin noted that the Russian Language Center has been successfully operating in the Central African Republic since the end of 2025, which is engaged in its popularization. For this, the Russian leader decided to personally thank his colleague. Moscow also promises to increase the quota for studying in the country for students from the republic.