Central African Republic is signing major mining deals and opening doors to foreign investment at fastest pace in years, yet country remains among poorest in world with most of population living in extreme poverty.
In February 2026, government signed 50 million dollar agreement with Maser for development of gold assets. Same month, CAR awarded A&S Resources contracts to develop iron ore reserves estimated at approximately 20 billion tons of high-grade ore, with potential resource value of roughly 2.5 trillion dollars. In June 2025, Canadian company CVMR Corporation secured exclusive 25-year rights to explore and develop minerals across country.
Gold prices are helping government case for investment. In 2025, surge of 36.1 percent in gold prices to 3,250 dollars per troy ounce boosted export receipts. CAR also resumed official diamond exports under Kimberley Process after 11-year embargo.
IMF forecasts CAR economy grew by 2.94 percent in 2025. At current prices, country's GDP is estimated at only 2.82 billion dollars — compared to DRC's projected 123 billion dollars in 2026 and Angola's GDP of approximately 32 billion euros in 2025.
Gap between mineral wealth and human development is stark. In 2024, about 67.5 percent of population — roughly 3.6 million people — lived on less than 3 dollars per person per day, with rural poverty rate reaching 78.3 percent.
