On 18 April 2025, in the town of Mbaïki, the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, officially launched construction work on a new 221-kilometre road that will connect Mbaïki with Gouga and the capital city of Bangui. The road is the first phase of work on a major new international transport corridor through Central Africa, which will link the coastal city of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo with Ndjamena in Chad via the cities of Brazzaville and Bangui.
The ceremony was attended by several members of the Central African government, including Prime Minister, Félix Moloua, the Minister of Equipment and Public Works, Éric Rokosse Kamot, and the President of the National Assembly, Simplice Mathieu Sarandji, as well as members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of inter-African and international organizations, including Mamady Souaré, head of the country office of the African Development Bank Group in the Central African Republic.
The construction of the road connecting Gouga and Mbaïki with Bangui is part of the first phase of the Pointe-Noire-Brazzaville-Bangui-Ndjamena Multimodal Transport Corridor Development Project (Corridor 13), with a total cost of $282 million, financed by the AfDB Group.
Corridor 13 (abbreviated CD13) is a vast infrastructure project, which will begin with the construction of 221 kilometres of road between Gouga and Bangui. This first phase will include the construction of urban roads in Mbaïki and Mongoumba, as well as the upgrading of David Dacko Avenue in Bangui and the construction of bridges over the Lobaye and Mpoko rivers. The project will be complemented by essential social infrastructure, including a cardiology centre in Bangui. Upgrades to waterways are also envisaged, including navigation and safety improvements on the Brazzaville-Bangui corridor along the Congo and Oubangui rivers, as well as the construction of a modern port in Mongoumba. Initiatives for youth employment, women’s empowerment and optimization of the transport sector are built into the project.
“The development of our country depends more than anything on better access to all of its regions. We are developing our entire road infrastructure in order to stimulate the country’s economy,” said the Minister of Equipment and Public Works, Éric Rokosse Kamot. “Roads bring development: where there are roads, development follows,” he added.
The CD13 project includes major environmental and social dimensions, with specific plans for vulnerable populations, awareness-raising on various community issues and compensation measures for populations affected by the works, which will be carried out in the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and Chad.
“This project, with its multimodal dimension, has been designed using an integrated and holistic approach. As well as addressing infrastructure challenges, particularly in the road and river sectors, it also strengthens the resilience of communities along its route, improving their living conditions and reducing vulnerabilities, particularly vulnerabilities related to climate change,” said Mamady Souaré, the Bank’s country manager for the Central African Republic.
The project, which is aligned with the Bank’s Country Strategy Paper for the Central African Republic, represents a major step forward for regional integration. As noted in the project appraisal report, it will bring a major transformation in relations between the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, consolidating economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges between the two neighbouring countries. The project is also aligned with the Bank’s Central Africa Regional Integration Strategy Paper.
The ceremony to mark the start of construction work was attended by many of the local people in Lobaye and Ombela Mpoko prefectures, who will benefit from the project.
The African Development Bank Group is a strategic partner for the Central African Republic. As of 31 March 2025, the Bank’s active portfolio for the Republic comprised 19 projects with a total financial commitment of $579 million. The portfolio is divided between transport infrastructure (51% of total value), water and sanitation (21%), agriculture (12%), and other sectors such as energy, social, governance and finance (16%).
Source African Development Bank Group
