Central African Republic: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: COBAC Decision D-2022/071 (CEMAC banking prohibition); CAR Loi No. 22.004 as amended March 2023 (voluntary-use only); BEAC/COBAC supranational oversight

The Central African Republic briefly became the second country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in April 2022, but parliament repealed that status in March 2023 under pressure from the BEAC and IMF, leaving crypto legal solely as a voluntary means of private exchange. A parallel May 2022 COBAC decision (D-2022/071) prohibits all CEMAC-regulated banks, microfinance institutions, and payment providers from facilitating any cryptocurrency transaction, effectively severing crypto from the formal financial system. No VASP licensing framework exists in CAR or across the broader CEMAC region, where a supranational regulatory framework remains under development.

Framework: No AI-specific law, strategy, or guidelines exist; general ICT regulation under ARCEP (Law 17.020/2017) and a data protection law (Loi 24/001, 2024) form the only relevant digital legal infrastructure.

The Central African Republic has no national AI legislation, strategy, or voluntary guidelines. Its digital regulatory framework is limited to basic telecommunications laws from 2017-2018, a data protection law enacted in January 2024, and a 2018 national digitisation plan ('Centrafrique Numérique') focused on public-sector ICT, none of which specifically address AI governance. As an African Union member state, CAR is nominally covered by the AU Continental AI Strategy (2024), but has not translated this into any domestic AI policy.

Framework: Loi No. 24.001 du janvier 2024 relative à la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel (Law No. 24.001 on the Protection of Personal Data, January 2024); supervisory authority pending establishment under the Ministry of Digital Economy, Posts, and Telecommunications

The Central African Republic enacted a comprehensive personal data protection law (Loi 24.001) in January 2024, establishing a GDPR-influenced framework covering lawful bases for processing, data subject rights, controller/processor obligations, and cross-border transfer restrictions. An independent supervisory authority was mandated to be created within 12 months of enactment, but as of early 2026 that authority has not yet been established, leaving interim oversight with the Ministry of Digital Economy. Constitutional privacy protection also exists under Article 16 (secrecy of correspondence).

Framework: CEMAC Regulation No. 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC on Payment Services (in force 1 January 2019); supervised by COBAC (Banking Commission of Central Africa) and BEAC (Bank of Central African States)

The Central African Republic is a CEMAC member state and is subject to the regional payment-services licensing framework established by COBAC Regulation 04/18, which permits non-bank payment institutions to issue e-money under national ministerial authorisation with COBAC assent. In practice, CAR's implementation is severely constrained by its post-conflict environment: the domestic fintech sector is nascent, no fully licensed independent payment institutions are documented under COBAC, and mobile money is the dominant, though lightly regulated at the national level, channel. A further updated CEMAC regulation (No. 01/24/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC) was issued in 2024, and BEAC and the IMF held a strategic seminar in February 2026 to develop a harmonised fintech and crypto-asset framework across CEMAC.

Framework: Central African Republic Labour Code and immigration regulations administered by the Ministry of Public Security and Immigration/Emigration; Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversight of work-related entry (reinforced by February 2024 policy directive)

The Central African Republic has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa, nor any residency-by-investment programme. Foreigners may enter on short-stay visas (30-90 days, or up to 1 year) issued in advance by CAR diplomatic missions, and must obtain a Titre de Séjour (residence permit) for stays exceeding three months; however, any work activity requires a Permis de Travail sponsored by a locally registered employer, leaving no formal pathway for self-employed remote workers. The country is also under a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory from the U.S. State Department due to armed conflict and civil unrest.

Framework: Loi No. 24/001 on Personal Data Protection (2024); Penal Code provisions on electronic fraud and child pornography; AU Malabo Convention (ratified 2023); CEMAC electronic-communications harmonisation directives

The Central African Republic has no comprehensive online safety or platform-liability law. Digital regulation is fragmented: a personal data protection law enacted in January 2024, scattered Penal Code provisions addressing cyber-fraud and child pornography, and ratification of the African Union Malabo Convention on Cyber Security. No dedicated cybercrime legislation, no content-moderation regime, and no platform age-verification rules are in force.

Framework: Loi No. 24/001 on Personal Data Protection (January 2024); Law creating the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCY, 2024); ECCAS Brazzaville Declaration 2016 regional framework

The Central African Republic enacted its first personal data protection law (Loi 24/001) in January 2024, followed shortly by a law establishing the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCY) under the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Digital Economy. A dedicated cybercrime and cybersecurity bill was simultaneously under active consideration as of early 2024, but no single comprehensive NIS2-style statute is yet in force. The ITU GCI 2024 placed CAR in Tier 5 (lowest), reflecting very limited implementation capacity despite recent legislative progress.

Framework: OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups (CAR is an OHADA member state); Investment Charter 2018 (Charte des Investissements de la République Centrafricaine); administered via the Guichet Unique des Formalités des Entreprises (GUFE-RCA)

The Central African Republic permits up to 100% foreign ownership in most sectors under its 2018 Investment Charter, and channels company registration through the GUFE-RCA one-stop shop in Bangui. However, the GUFE remains only partially functional in practice, notarised statutes and multi-agency sign-offs are still required, and the country's fragile-state context significantly increases real-world complexity beyond the formal rules.