With the Central African Republic's next presidential election approaching and the country facing a fragile economic climate, the opposition is working to make its voice heard. Among its leading figures is Martin Ziguélé, a former prime minister (2001-2003) and current president of the MLPC party. As a member of parliament and the National Assembly's Finance Committee, he has been an advocate for democratic governance and sustainable recovery for over two decades. In an exclusive interview with Ecofin Agency, Ziguélé shares his vision and ambitions for the country, focusing on the political, economic, and security issues that will shape its future.

Ecofin Agency: You've called for direct dialogue with President Touadéra. What are your specific expectations for this dialogue, and what would it take to make these discussions credible?

Mr Martin Ziguélé: The United Nations Security Council has mandated the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to support the government and people in preparing for the four combined elections scheduled for the end of this year: presidential, legislative, municipal, and regional. For the municipal and regional elections, it will be the first time we've held them since independence in 1960. The Security Council's resolution explicitly states that these elections must be inclusive and transparent. This is what we're demanding.

We have a country of 624,000 square kilometers, which is about 12 times the size of Benin [...]  yet we have a population of only 6 million—less than one person per square kilometer

We want elections where people aren't excluded under false pretenses from aspiring to political office. Secondly, we want transparent elections because, on paper, the National Elections Authority is an independent, neutral body. Yet, it took them eleven months to produce electoral lists, at a cost of six billion francs. These lists, which were supposed to be finalized by January or February, only became available this August, and they still aren't posted at registration centers.

Ecofin Agency: Economically, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Despite positive growth rates, the Central African Republic's revenue remains nearly 90% dependent on exports of precious metals and timber. How would you diversify the economy to break this dependence on raw materials?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: The only way for this country to succeed is through agriculture, and agriculture alone. I say this because we've done it before. Under Bokassa, we produced up to 60,000 tons of cotton, at a time when many African countries couldn't even reach 50,000 tons. All of that has since collapsed. Our economic policy, especially for reviving activity, must be based on agriculture, both for export and for food crops.

Under Bokassa, we produced up to 60,000 tons of cotton, at a time when many African countries couldn't even reach 50,000 tons. All of that has since collapsed.

We have a country of 624,000 square kilometers, which is about 12 times the size of Benin and three times the size of Burkina Faso, yet we have a population of only 6 million—less than one person per square kilometer. We have 15 million hectares of arable land, and each year we cultivate less than 0.25%, not even 1%. Our agricultural potential is enormous. The market is there, as the countries surrounding us—Sudan, Chad, and further afield, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, and Niger—have food production deficits.

We have 15 million hectares of arable land, and each year we cultivate less than 0.25%, not even 1%. Our agricultural potential is enormous.

If we return to developing agriculture, both for food and export, we can sustainably boost the economy, which will have a ripple effect on transportation and transit, and improve living standards. Rural and peri-urban populations would have permanent cash income, they'd consume more, and that would restart economic activity. It would also strengthen the state budget and allow for social policies to reverse poverty.

Leading development economists say that in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty, like the Central African Republic, you need consistent investment. The investment rate has to be around 25% of GDP for 20 to 25 years to reverse the trend. In a country like ours, where the GDP is about $3 billion, or roughly 1,500 billion CFA francs, 25% of that means investing 450 billion CFA francs every year for 25 years. But our budget is only 300 billion CFA francs. And when you look at the portion allocated for investment, it speaks for itself. We are far from a real economic policy aimed at reducing poverty and restoring hope for a better life in this country.

Ecofin Agency: The World Bank reports that more than 70% of the active population lives on subsistence farming, and this sector accounts for about 55% of the GDP. What's your strategy for modernizing this sector and achieving food self-sufficiency in the Central African Republic?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: This isn't about reinventing agriculture. It's about rebuilding and resuming what was once done, what was broken, and what hasn't been rebuilt due to a lack of political will. Take the cotton sector, for example. Cotton provides a livelihood for about 2 million out of our 6 million people. We just need to revive cotton farming, restart agricultural support services, and find the right seeds, pesticides, and other inputs. We need to relaunch the policies that worked in Benin, Mali, and Togo.

Central African coffee is of premium quality, comparable to that of Ethiopia, Uganda, or Kenya. At one point, the revenue from coffee even paid for Bokassa's coronation in 1976. Today, the coffee sector has completely collapsed. There isn't even a purchasing body for farmers anymore, and the few who still produce it sell it through bartering to foreign merchants, particularly from Sudan. The goal is to rebuild Central African agriculture to what it was thirty or forty years ago—something that was abandoned because of a lack of political will.

It’s true that the Central African Republic produces diamonds and gold. But Central African diamonds are alluvial, found in rivers. It’s not like in Botswana or South Africa, where they are underground and can be controlled. Here, anyone can pick them up and cross the borders. Smuggling is rampant in this sector, as it is with gold. We have mining concessions without any security support, which means they escape official statistics. I even question whether they generate any revenue for the public treasury.

Central African diamonds are alluvial, found in rivers. It’s not like in Botswana or South Africa, where they are underground and can be controlled. Here, anyone can pick them up and cross the borders. Smuggling is rampant in this sector, as it is with gold.

 I'm a member of the Finance Committee in the National Assembly, and I can tell you that when you look at the revenue from the mining sector in the budget's revenue table, the cost of managing the sector—the salaries for civil servants in the mining and energy departments—is higher than what the sector brings in from royalties and taxes. And this is despite the enormous mining potential. So, the issue is a matter of political will, a fight against corruption, and the effective enforcement of regulations. And that's not what's happening.

Ecofin Agency: According to the World Bank, less than 17% of the population has access to electricity. In this specific sector, do you have a realistic strategy to improve coverage or at least attract investors, despite the current infrastructure deficit?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: I would challenge the statistic of 17% electricity access if it refers to the entire country. Aside from Bangui, I don't know of a single city with electricity 24 hours a day; it simply doesn't exist. In reality, we are probably at around 5% to 10% access to both electricity and water.

The Central African Republic is a major water source for both the Chari and Congo basins. The Ubangi, the Congo River's largest tributary, originates here and crosses the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have the potential for hydroelectric power; we just need to build dams and install turbines on our many waterfalls. But to do that, we need policies that encourage large-scale investors to fund electricity production and transmission. Investors will be more likely to come when they see our country developing and when they know there's a real market for the electricity they'd produce.

The central goal of any economic policy must be to create a favorable investment climate. That means establishing fair regulations, making it easier to do business, providing essential resources like water and power, and fighting corruption. These are the factors that investors use to evaluate a business environment in the Central African Republic against countries like Cameroon, Benin, or Senegal. Major investors do their homework, and they choose where to put their money based on that research.

So, we have a lot of work to do internally to attract investment in energy. We need to develop hydroelectric power, find wind corridors for wind energy, and build other green energy sources. Our goal is to produce not only for ourselves but to also export to neighboring countries that need it. This is the energy value chain we can develop.

Ecofin Agency: The Central African Republic's budget relies on foreign aid for about half its funding. How would your administration expand the tax base and boost internal revenue without harming economic activity?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: The problem with our modest budget is a direct result of weak economic activity. A government's budget is funded by taxes like VAT, so if there's no economic activity, there can be no budget. The budget is a consequence of a country's economic policy, not the other way around.

Development doesn't happen by chance. It requires the political will to improve the business climate, leverage our agricultural potential, clean up the gold and diamond mining sectors, and develop agroforestry. These steps will spur GDP growth and should be supported by a more digitized tax collection system. When domestic economic activity ramps up, an increase in government revenue will be the immediate result.

As long as the government lacks significant revenue, it will continue to rely on foreign aid and expensive short-term loans from the banking market. This kind of debt is a deadly poison for a nation's finances. If the government spends 60 billion each month on its own operations but only has 40 billion left to invest in the economy, it's a vicious cycle we can't escape. We have to break the reliance on short-term bank financing, and that means increasing the production of goods and services. This growth, in turn, depends directly on the government's commitment to improving the business climate.

Ecofin Agency: Since 2022, the Touadéra government has effectively used the Central African Republic as a laboratory for cryptocurrencies with its Sango Coin project and the adoption of Bitcoin. What is your view on this approach, and what do you believe is the correct way forward for financial innovation in your country?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: When the bill to legalize cryptocurrency was introduced, a few of my opposition colleagues and I immediately opposed it. Our concerns were ignored in the official report, so we released a public protest document to detail the dangers of the plan.

The entire project was a complete fantasy. You can't modernize a suffering economy by focusing on a new payment method when there is no real production to support it. It was an irrational, almost bizarre, approach. The law was later revised, and its most important parts were removed. Initially, the government claimed that the Sango Coin cryptocurrency would serve as the country's currency alongside the CFA franc. I still don't understand how they believed we could have two monetary units in the same zone, given our membership in the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and our commitments to the Central African Monetary Union. I believe the project's initiators were simply con artists who took advantage of the government. In the end, some Central Africans bought Sango Coin, and when the companies involved left, no one was ever reimbursed. That, in itself, is a serious issue.

I believe the project's initiators were simply con artists who took advantage of the government. In the end, some Central Africans bought Sango Coin, and when the companies involved left, no one was ever reimbursed. That, in itself, is a serious issue.

Ecofin Agency: Given that over half of Central African territory remains under the influence of armed groups, what specific actions would you take to restore state control and stimulate economic recovery in those regions?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: Security is the essential foundation for economic development. A farmer in Bozum, Ndele, or Bambari must be able to go to their fields safely to produce the food we all need. They must be able to fish and hunt without fear. Security is a national priority.

The security situation in the Central African Republic has improved. You can now travel across most of the country, though the risk of conflict with armed groups and bandits remains because of the widespread circulation of weapons. Still, the situation is much better overall.

The security situation in the Central African Republic has improved. You can now travel across most of the country, though the risk of conflict with armed groups and bandits remains because of the widespread circulation of weapons

What we need now is to strengthen our national army, the FACA, and build it into a true garrison force. When I was the head of the finance committee, we passed a military planning law, but we have no idea what has become of it. When we ask for an update, we get rude responses. This, once again, shows a lack of political will.

During the 2016 legislative session, my party's parliamentary group voted to approve defense agreements with Russia, Angola, and Rwanda. It was essential that our country be secure, and we needed to strengthen cooperation with nations that had more resources and military experience. However, Russia sent mercenaries from the Wagner Group instead of regular military advisors. That is why I condemn their presence. I am against Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, but I am not against military cooperation with the Russian Federation. We have had political, diplomatic, security, and educational ties with Russia since 1960.

                                   I am against Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, but I am not against military cooperation with the Russian Federation. We have had political, diplomatic, security, and educational ties with Russia since 1960

When I was young, Bokassa sent our largest contingent of students to Russia, and they returned as engineers, doctors, and technicians. That is the kind of state-to-state cooperation we want. Mercenarism is condemned by our national laws and by the Ottawa Convention, which our National Assembly signed and ratified. It is simply a matter of honoring our commitments.

Ecofin Agency: The Central African Republic is a member of CEMAC and ECCAS. What role should the country play within these two bodies to support its economic revival and drive regional integration?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: I'm glad you asked that. I've always been a strong supporter of sub-regional and regional integration. I was pleased that 48 African states ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) treaty. To achieve the Africa we envision in Agenda 2063, we must strengthen integration at both the continental and sub-regional levels.

That's why I support the ongoing efforts to merge ECCAS and CEMAC into a single, integrated economic zone for Central Africa. Our region is full of opportunities, from vast agricultural and forest resources—the Congo Basin is the world's second-largest forest—to the energy potential of the Inga Dam in the DRC and the mineral, oil, diamond, and gold wealth in Angola, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Chad. These opportunities can only be unlocked through a genuine process of economic integration.

I support the ongoing efforts to merge ECCAS and CEMAC into a single, integrated economic zone for Central Africa. Our region is full of opportunities, from vast agricultural and forest resources

If we cannot achieve the political integration that our predecessors—Kwame Nkrumah, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Sékou Touré, Barthélemy Boganda, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Muammar Gaddafi—once envisioned, we must at least achieve economic integration by strengthening our regional communities. That is why I advocate for strengthening the Central African economic community by merging ECCAS and CEMAC.

I often use the United States as an example: a federal state of 50 states. Africa, by contrast, has 54 countries, 54 governments, 54 economic policies, 54 finance ministers, and 54 defense ministers. The result is that the U.S., the world's leading power, comes to Africa to buy its mineral resources. Meanwhile, more than a billion Africans wait for the U.S. government to decide to fund USAID programs to vaccinate our children or develop school curricula. Our very survival depends on unity, and we must make it happen.

Ecofin Agency: What is your vision for the Central African Republic by 2030, and how would you transform its economic and social sectors under your leadership?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: Politically, the country must be unified, because unity is the first word of our national motto: "Unity, Dignity, Work," a phrase chosen by President Barthélemy Boganda.

Being unified means focusing on what truly matters and harnessing the potential that God has given us. Our unity should not be exclusive; we are part of a sub-region with six neighboring countries, and we cannot develop in isolation. It is only logical that we build synergies with our neighbors through integration policies.

Dignity, to me, means every citizen has access to peace and daily sustenance. The goal of any policy—whether economic or social—is to ensure that Central Africans have peace, food, healthcare, and an education for their children. It is about restoring the dignity of every citizen.

None of this can be achieved without hard work. Development is not a spontaneous process. It is the result of structured organization and strong political will. We must have the determination and selflessness to ignore distractions and focus on achieving our goals. That is the fight for every Central African, because the greatest wealth of a nation is its people.

Ecofin Agency: The MLPC is facing internal challenges, including accusations that there have been attempts to dismantle it. What is your strategy for rebuilding the party's unity and legitimacy?

Mr. Martin Ziguélé: President Touadéra himself is behind the attempts to create divisions within our party. He finances dissidents and provides them with a platform. But a party is an association, and its members know how to elect their leaders. To counter these attempts to divide the MLPC, we convened a congress on September 9 and 10, 2025. We used it to reaffirm the legitimacy of the party's leadership, elect new members, and ensure the party can continue its active role in the political, economic, and social life of the country. When someone who isn't a member of an association tries to disrupt its internal workings simply because they have state power and resources, it's a clear indication of the lack of political ethics at the highest level of our government today.

Interview by Moutiou Adjibi Nourou,

Adapted into English by Mouka Mezonlin