In the past seven years, the World Bank has made significant investments in the electricity sector in the Central African Republic (CAR), a member of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). According to the Bretton Woods institution, it has mobilized approximately $200 million (equivalent to 126.3 billion FCFA) to support the country's electrification efforts.The primary function of the investments made in this sector is to improve the country's electricity supply. According to data produced by the same institution cited by Bloomfield Investment in its sovereign rating report for the country, the access rate to electricity increased from 14.6% in 2018 to 14.3% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020. In 2021, this indicator stood at 15.7%. This represents a slight improvement in the country's electricity coverage.As a result, the power plants have increased the electricity supply capacity by 40% and have enabled 300,000 people, or 5% of the population, to access electricity. Furthermore, the commissioning of these power plants has reduced dependence on diesel for thermal power plant fuel by 90%. The allocation of the funding package includes $110 million (69.4 billion FCFA) for investments in power generation and transmission, $50 million (31.5 billion FCFA) for off-grid investments, and $40 million (25.2 billion FCFA) for reforms and performance improvement of Enerca, the national electricity company. According to the World Bank, these funds have been disbursed to the Central African Republic (CAR) since 2018, the year the Water and Electricity Services Modernization Project (Paseel) was launched. In 2022, the World Bank reported that the access rate to electricity varies from around 35% in Bangui, the capital, to approximately 0.4% in rural areas. Power outages due to lack of generation have been significantly reduced, and residents of the capital now enjoy reliable electricity supply.

The PASEEL project financing has enabled the construction of: New energy infrastructure, including mini-solar photovoltaic (PV) networks associated with battery energy storage systems (BESS),Distribution systems for two major provincial cities, Bambari and Berberati,A 25 MWc (megawatt peak) solar photovoltaic power plant with battery storage near Bangui, specifically in Danzi (the plant was commissioned in November 2023).In addition to these infrastructure projects, sectoral reforms and the modernization of the commercial systems of the national electricity company, Enerca, have been implemented to improve its operational performance.

 Christelle koambi.