Central African Republic has inaugurated a 50-megawatt solar power plant near Bangui, roughly a year after construction began, in a project its Abu Dhabi-based developer says will boost the c
Central African Republic has inaugurated a 50-megawatt solar power plant near Bangui, roughly a year after construction began, in a project its Abu Dhabi-based developer says will boost the country’s electricity generation by more than 60%.
Global South Utilities (GSU), which built and owns the plant, said in a statement that the facility is expected to supply electricity to more than 300,000 households.
Credit: United Nations Development ProgrammeThe project, located in Sakaï, about 10km from the capital, includes battery storage designed to stabilise the grid. However, GSU’s stated storage capacity has varied across its public statements, from 10 MWh at the August 2025 groundbreaking to 15 MWh at Wednesday’s inauguration.
Only 18.2% of the Central African Republic’s population had access to electricity as of 2024, according to World Bank data, among the lowest rates on the continent. Reliable electricity is essential for expanding connectivity, digital services and the broader tech ecosystem, making this plant a notable infrastructure step for a country that has largely remained outside conversations about Africa’s digital economy growth.
GSU Managing Director and CEO Ali Alshimmari said concessional financing from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development helped deliver the project. The plant follows an economic partnership agreement signed between the Central African Republic and the UAE in March 2025, covering trade and investment across key sectors, and adds to GSU’s existing portfolio in the region, which includes a similarly sized 50MW solar plant the company previously developed in Chad.
Read also: Central African Republic (CAR) creates a 15-member committee to draft crypto bill
The inauguration was attended by Central African Republic officials, though the extent of the government’s co-investment or ownership stake in the project, if any, was not detailed in available statements.
Notably, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra had separately asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help addressing the country’s energy challenges during a meeting in March, underscoring the range of international partners CAR is engaging on its power infrastructure needs.
