Abstract
IMF Country Report No. 23/156
Copyright Page
IMF Country Report No. 23/156
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
SELECTED ISSUES
May 2023
This paper on the Central African Republic was prepared by a staff team of the International Monetary Fund as background documentation for the periodic consultation with the member country. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on April 18, 2023.
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Title Page
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
SELECTED ISSUES
April 18, 2023
Approved By
African Department
Prepared by Marcel Nshimiyimana, Samba Mbaye, Masha lyabo, Felix F. Simione, and Khushboo Khandelwal (all AFR), Julieth Pico (FAD), Akihiro Yoshinaga, Sebastian Grund, Emmanuel Mathias, Marianne Bechara, Pierre Bardin, and Paula Paixao e Silva Zarazinski (all LEG), Yaiza Cabedo (MCM), by Adina Popescu (SPR).
Contents
FINTECH AND CRYPTO ASSETS IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: BALANCING OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS
A. Executive Summary
B. Context
C. Overview of The Central African Republic’s Cryptographic Ambitions
D. Roadmap to Improving Current Projects
E. Policy and Regulatory Options
FIGURES
1. Evolution of Financial Services
2. Mobile Money Usage and Accounts Ownership
3. Socio-economic and Digital Infrastructure
4. Access to Financial Services in Select African Countries
5. Sango Coin: Issuance Metrics
6. Historical Volatilities of Different Asset Classes
TABLE
1. Sango: Allocation and Release Schedule
References
ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-CHALLENGES, DRIVERS, AND POLICY OPTIONS
A. Executive Summary
B. Background
C. The Rising Challenge of Food Insecurity
D. Drivers of Food Insecurity
E. Policy Options
F. Conclusions
FIGURES
1. Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity
2. Prevalence of Undernourishment
3. Food Insecurity, Malnutrition, and Poverty as Interrelated Phenomena
4. Humanitarian Food Security Assistance from International Aid Partners
5. WFP Humanitarian Operations
6. WFP’s Six-month Net Funding Requirement
7. Cereal and Wheat Import Dependency
8. Food Supply and Nutrient use in Agriculture
9. Affordability of Food
10. Use of Safe Water and Sanitation Services
11. Displaced People (2022)
BOX
1. Social Protection amid the Global Food Price Crisis in the Central African Republic
References
REFORMING THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC’S FUEL PRICING REGIME FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
A. Context
B. The Petroleum Sector in the Central African Republic until End-2022
C. Fiscal Impact of Fuel Subsidies Since January 2023
D. Reforming Fuel Price: Considerations and Recommendations
FIGURES
1. Cost Components and Implicit Subsidy of 1 Liter of Diesel in the Central African Republic
2. Monthly Revenue from the Sale of Fuel Products, 2022
3. Price Structure in Different African Countries
TABLE
1. Fuel Prices for Imports from Neighboring Countries
References