Central African Republic and hydropower
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked nation in central Africa, bordered by Cameroon, Chad, and the Republic of the Congo. Classified by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries, CAR faces significant challenges, including political instability, poverty, and a lack of infrastructure. The country currently relies entirely on imported energy sources, as it has no domestic oil, natural gas, or coal production. However, CAR possesses considerable potential for hydropower development, with three operational hydropower stations in the capital, Bangui, generating a combined output of 28.75 megawatts.
Despite the existing hydropower facilities, the country has identified around thirty additional sites suitable for further development. The emphasis on hydropower is crucial given the limited energy access and the high percentage of the population living in poverty. Although solar energy presents another opportunity, financial constraints have hindered its feasibility. Efforts to enhance energy infrastructure and improve basic services are underway, supported by various international organizations. These initiatives aim to stabilize the social and economic environment, yet the country continues to grapple with the repercussions of civil unrest and recurrent flooding, which further complicate progress in energy production and overall development.
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Central African Republic and hydropower
Official Name: Central African Republic.
Summary: Classified by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries in the world, the Central African Republic has suffered from war, corruption, and a limited infrastructure. Imports meet all of the nation’s energy needs, but it has potential to develop hydropower resources.
The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in central Africa (located in almost the precise geographical center of the continent), sharing borders with Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. In area, it is slightly smaller than Texas (387,104 square miles or 622,984 square kilometers), with an estimated population in 2024 of 5.6 million.
The Central African Republic is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world: Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 was $1,000. Most of the population, 68.8 percent, was living below the poverty level in 2021. Measures of the population’s well-being are extremely poor: The infant mortality rate in 2024 was 80.5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024), third-highest in the world, and life expectancy at birth was 56.4 years (226th in the world).
Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy; in 2017 it accounted for 43.2 percent of GDP. Services were second at 40.8 percent, followed by industry at 16 percent. The Central African Republic is largely self-sufficient in terms of food production. The primary exports are diamonds (about 40 percent of total exports) and timber (16 percent of the total), but a worldwide drop in prices for these commodities in 2009 further weakened the country’s economy as real GDP growth dropped to 1.7 percent, versus 2 percent in 2008 and 3.7 percent in 2007. However, in the early 2020s, it was less than 1 percent.
A poorly developed infrastructure, low levels of education, and the country’s location in the center of Africa, as well as years of civil unrest and government corruption and mismanagement, have hampered the Central African Republic’s economic development. It is classified by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries in the world, ranking second from last in 2021. Recurrent flooding, including in the capital city of Bangui, has also harmed the country’s infrastructure and hampered its economic development. The primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo and connects with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville, but use of that route has been hampered by warfare since 1997.
Energy Production
The Central African Republic produces no oil, natural gas, or coal. In 2022, it consumed 0.004 quadrillion Btus of petroleum annually, all of it imported. It also consumed 2 terawatt hours and produced 316,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from consumption of fossil fuels. The Central African Republic has abundant river resources, yet only the city of Bangui is provided with electricity generated by hydropower. By 2024, it had three hydropower stations, Boali I, II, and III, which produced 8.75 MW, 10 MW, and 10 MW, respectively. The country has identified about thirty sites that could be developed for hydropower. Though solar power holds potential, it would require a significant investment that was not deemed feasible in the early 2020s.
In 2005, the Central African Republic held a presidential election that confirmed General François Bozize, who had seized power in a military coup in 2003, as president. In 2013, CAR's fifth coup deposed Bozize. Independent candidate Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected president in 2016 and re-elected four years later. A 2023 constitution ended term limits for the presidency, paving the way for Touadera to remain in power. However, the country was not entirely under governmental control even then, and stability is also affected by turmoil in nearby Chad, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many nongovernmental organizations have a presence in the Central African Republic, and the country has had a relationship with the World Bank since 2004 (previously suspended because of instability).
In 2007, a joint African Development Bank/World Bank interim strategy note (JISN) was created that sought to organize development support, speed the improvement of basic services, and reinforce efforts to stabilize the country’s social and political environment. A country partnership strategy (CPS), prepared jointly by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group, sets key goals and strategies for development for the years 2009–12. The CPS is built around two strategic axes: consolidation of economic governance and institutional capacity and rehabilitation, and development of socioeconomic infrastructure.
The first is aimed at economic reforms, effective resource management, and creation of an environment to encourage private sector development, while the latter is aimed at improving basic service delivery, improving the population’s living conditions, and removing bottlenecks that hamper development. Important improvements have already been made in the country’s infrastructure. In the area of transportation, the focus has been on improving major regional roads and improving the international corridor from Cameroon to Chad and linking it with the national road network. Two projects have been launched to reverse the deterioration of the country’s power infrastructure, including restoring the electricity supply from two damaged hydropower facilities that supply power to Bangui. Other projects in the energy sector include the introduction of cost-efficient lightbulbs and installation of prepayment meters.
Bibliography
Central Intelligence Agency. “Central African Republic.” In The World Factbook. www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/. Accessed 31 July 2024.
Kemp, Yunus. "Central African Republic: Finding Its Place in the Sun." ESI Africa, 16 May 2024, www.esi-africa.com/renewable-energy/central-african-republic-finding-its-place-in-the-sun/. Accessed 31 July 2024.
Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. "Central African Republic: Energy Country Profile." Our World in Data, 2024, ourworldindata.org/energy/country/central-african-republic. Accessed 31 July 2024.
United Nations, Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States. “Central African Republic.” unctadstat.unctad.org/CountryProfile/GeneralProfile/en-GB/140/index.html. Accessed 31 July 2024.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Country Analysis Brief: Central African Republic.” www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CAF. Accessed 31 July 2024.
"With the Support of the World Bank, a New Solar Park in the Central African Republic Expands Access to Clean Energy." World Bank, 17 Nov. 2023, www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/11/17/with-the-support-of-the-world-bank-a-new-solar-park-in-the-central-african-republic-expands-access-to-clean-energy. Accessed 31 July 2024.