CAR’s Development Crossroads: Why Agriculture, Energy and Jobs Must Drive the Next Growth Push

The World Bank survey shows that Central African Republic stakeholders want development financing to deliver faster, more visible results, particularly in agriculture, energy, jobs, infrastructure and public services. With corruption, limited finance and infrastructure gaps constraining progress, policymakers and development partners need stronger accountability, local partnerships and integrated investment to unlock private-sector growth.

The World Bank Group's FY2026 Country Opinion Survey for the Central African Republic sends an important message to the government, development partners and investors: development financing remains highly valued, but stakeholders increasingly want clearer and faster results. Prepared by the World Bank Group's CER Analytics Team, the survey gathered responses from 279 stakeholders, representing a 63% response rate. Participants included government institutions, local authorities, parliamentarians, civil society, businesses, international development agencies, academia and media. While familiarity with the World Bank Group increased from 6.5 out of 10 in FY2023 to 7.4 in FY2026, confidence in its performance weakened. Trust declined from 8.3 to 7.4, perceived relevance to CAR's development fell from 8.1 to 7.3, and effectiveness in helping the country achieve development results dropped from 7.7 to 6.8.

More Money Is Not Enough Without Visible Results

The findings suggest that CAR's development challenge is increasingly about turning financing into outcomes people and businesses can see. Only 39% of World Bank Group clients rated the institution as "very helpful" in achieving project goals, while 32% considered supported projects very effective at creating sustainable, long-term jobs.

The employment numbers are equally important. Only 29% of respondents rated the WBG very effective in creating conditions for more and better jobs, while 30% gave similarly strong ratings to its alignment with national job-creation priorities. However, among respondents specifically asked about employment policy, 56% considered the WBG highly influential in shaping government employment and job strategies.

For policymakers, this points to a need to judge development programmes increasingly by jobs created, services improved and infrastructure delivered rather than simply by financing committed or projects approved.

Agriculture and Energy Emerge as the Growth Priorities

Stakeholders provide a clear investment roadmap. Agriculture and food security were identified by 65% as priorities for WBG support, followed by energy at 61%, education at 59%, health at 57%, transport infrastructure at 46% and water and sanitation at 43%.

Energy deserves particular attention because its importance has doubled compared with FY2023. Reliable electricity can influence agricultural processing, manufacturing, digital services, healthcare, education and the competitiveness of small businesses.

Respondents want greater support for agricultural mechanisation, livestock development and domestic agribusiness value chains alongside electricity and road investments. They also called for better access to credit, vocational education and entrepreneurship opportunities for women and young people.

There are already examples of tangible impact. Respondents highlighted electricity network expansion around Bangui, solar generation, rehabilitation of schools and healthcare facilities, maternal and infant healthcare improvements and agricultural support. Around 2,555 households near Mbaéré Bodingué National Park reportedly benefited from activities including agriculture, livestock farming, beekeeping and training.

Corruption, Credit and Infrastructure Threaten Private Investment

The biggest warning for government and investors concerns the business environment. Corruption was identified by 71% of respondents as a major obstacle to private-sector development. Limited access to finance followed at 67%, while 51% cited infrastructure gaps such as energy and transport. Political instability was identified by 31%, market size and demand by 27%, availability of skilled workers by 24% and the regulatory environment by 23%.

Corruption was also cited by 63% as a reason economic and social reforms fail or move slowly, followed by inadequate government accountability at 40% and insufficient government capacity at 36%.

For businesses, however, these weaknesses also indicate where opportunities exist. Agriculture and food processing, power, transport, SME finance, vocational training and supporting infrastructure could become important investment areas if reforms reduce risk.

Government therefore needs to treat anti-corruption measures as part of its economic strategy. Stronger audits, transparent procurement, expenditure tracking, better public financial management and independent monitoring could improve both development outcomes and investor confidence.

Development Partners Need a More Local, Integrated Strategy

Financial resources remain the WBG's most valued instrument, selected by 67% of respondents, compared with 48% for advisory services, 45% for its convening power and 29% for data and research. But stakeholders gave only moderate scores to financial delivery: 6.4 out of 10 for whether financing meets CAR's needs, 5.8 for competitiveness of terms, 5.8 for timely support and 5.7 for the reasonableness of requirements.

Knowledge support faces another challenge. Although 83% of respondents used WBG knowledge products during the previous three years, only 30% considered their contribution to development results very significant, down sharply from 64% in FY2023. This suggests international partners should invest more in local research institutions, statistics, data systems and technical capacity so that policies better reflect conditions on the ground.

Collaboration also needs rebuilding. The WBG's rating for collaboration with the national government declined from 8.3 to 6.7. Stakeholders want partnerships broadened beyond central government: 57% want stronger engagement with local governments, 45% with the private sector and 34% with civil society.

The future strategy should therefore connect agriculture, electricity, roads, finance, education and skills instead of treating them as separate development problems. Faster disbursement should be combined with tougher financial controls, independent monitoring and stronger institutional capacity. Development partners should coordinate more closely to prevent duplication, while businesses need better access to affordable finance and reliable infrastructure.

Above all, stakeholders want proof of impact: 69% want more project impact assessments and evaluations, while 56% want clearer information about project results. The survey's policy message is straightforward: CAR does not simply need more development spending. It needs financing that reaches projects faster, survives stronger accountability checks and ultimately produces electricity, productive businesses, better public services and sustainable jobs.