Faustin-Archange Touadéra | |
|---|---|
 Touadéra in 2019 | |
| 8thPresident of the Central African Republic | |
| Assumed office 30 March 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Simplice Sarandji Firmin Ngrébada Henri-Marie Dondra Félix Moloua |
| Preceded by | Catherine Samba-Panza |
| Prime Minister of the Central African Republic | |
| In office 22 January 2008 – 17 January 2013 | |
| President | François Bozizé |
| Preceded by | Élie Doté |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas Tiangaye |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-04-21)21 April 1957 (age 67) Bangui,Ubangi-Shari (present-dayCentral African Republic) |
| Political party | United Hearts Movement(2019–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent(2015–2019) Kwa na Kwa(before 2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Brigitte Touadéra Tina Touadéra |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Bangui (BSc) University of Cocody (MSc) University of Lille (PhD) University of Yaoundé I (PhD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Faustin-Archange Touadéra (French:[fostɛ̃aʁkɑ̃ʒtwadeʁa]; born 21 April 1957)[2] is aCentral African politician and academic who has beenPresident of the Central African Republic since March 2016. He previously wasPrime Minister of the Central African Republic from January 2008 to January 2013. In theDecember 2015 – February 2016 presidential election, he was elected to the presidency in a second round of voting against former prime ministerAnicet Georges Dologuélé. He wasre-elected for a second term on 27 December 2020.
Touadéra was born inBangui;[1] the son of a driver and a farmer,[2] his family was originally fromDamara, to the north of Bangui.[3] He received his secondary education at theBarthelemy Boganda College in Bangui and obtained a baccalaureate in 1976,[1] before attending theUniversity of Bangui and theUniversity of Abidjan. He earned aMathematicsDoctorate in 1986, supervised by Daniel Goulding at theLille University of Science and Technology (Lille I) in France[4] and another doctorate, also in mathematics, supervised by Marcel Dossa[5] at theUniversity of Yaoundé I in Cameroon in 2004.[6]
In 1987, he became assistant lecturer of mathematics at theUniversity of Bangui and was vice-dean of the University's Faculty of Science from 1989 to 1992.[6] In the latter year he became director of the teachers' training college. He joined the Inter-State Committee for the Standardisation of Mathematics Programs in the French-speaking countries and the Indian Ocean (CIEHPM) in 1999, serving as the president of the Committee from 2001 to 2003. He became vice chancellor of theUniversity of Bangui in May 2004.[2] Touadéra subsequently served as rector of the university from 2005 to 2008, during which time he launched several key initiatives, such as the entrepreneurship training program and the creation of theEuclid Consortium.[7]
Touadéra was appointed prime minister by PresidentFrançois Bozizé on 22 January 2008, following the resignation ofÉlie Doté.[8] His government, composed of 29 members—four ministers of state, 17 ministers, and seven minister delegates, along with himself—was appointed on 28 January.[9]
A national dialogue was held in December 2008, and François Bozizé then dissolved Touadéra's government on 18 January 2009 in preparation for the formation of a government of national unity.[10] Touadéra was reappointed prime minister on 19 January. Later on the same day, his new 31-minister government was appointed, with only 10 ministers retaining their posts; many former rebels were included in the new line-up to prepare the country for the 2009 local elections and the 2010 presidential and parliamentary polls.[11]
Following a peace deal between the Bozizé government and theSéléka rebel coalition in January 2013, Bozizé dismissed Touadéra on 12 January 2013, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, which required that a new prime minister be appointed from the political opposition.[12]
Later, Touadéra announced his intention to stand as an independent candidate in theOctober 2015 presidential election.[13]
In 2008, theEuclid Consortium initiative hosted by theUniversity of Bangui led to the formation of an intergovernmental university namedEUCLID (Euclid University) (French: Pôle Universitaire Euclide). In his capacity as prime minister, Touadera signed the instrument of participation for the Central African Republic in May 2010. His chief of cabinet,Simplice Sarandji also signed the headquarters agreement for EUCLID in March 2011.
In April 2012, Touadera personally presided over a graduation ceremony in New York, at the Permanent Mission of the Central African Republic to the United Nations, for a graduating diplomat of Burundi. After his tenure as prime minister, Touadera became EUCLID's High Steward, an honorary role.[14]
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Touadéra stood as a candidate in theDecember 2015–February 2016 presidential election. After finishing second in the first round of voting, he received the support of the majority of defeated candidates for the second round, which he won with 62% of the vote. He was sworn in on 30 March 2016. Speaking on the occasion, he vowed to pursue disarmament and "make CAR a united country, a country of peace, a country facing development".[15] He appointedSimplice Sarandji as prime minister on 2 April 2016. Sarandji was Touadéra's campaign manager during the election and Touadéra's chief of staff during his own time as prime minister.[16][17]
After he was sworn into office,France confirmed that it would end its military intervention in Central African Republic. France had around 2,500 troops deployed in the country as part ofOperation Sangaris, supporting about 10,000United Nations peacekeepers.[18] Without France's support, Touadéra faced the immediate challenge of maintaining security in major cities.[18]
The Central African Republic saw a 36 percent drop in its gross domestic product in 2013. The economy has slowly grown since then, but with the agricultural sector — the main contributor to GDP — still struggling, the government is struggling to raise revenue.[18]
In April 2022, CAR approved a plan to makeBitcoin an official currency in the country.[19] At the time, it was the second country to make the cryptocurrencylegal tender joiningEl Salvador.[20] The plan was abandoned in 2023.[21]
In December 2022, he attended theUnited States–Africa Leaders Summit 2022 and met with US presidentJoe Biden.[22]
Touadéra's personal security detail is reportedly composed of members of the RussianWagner Group.[23] In July 2023, Touadéra attended the2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg and met Russian PresidentVladimir Putin. Touadéra expressed support for Russia, saying that Russia "had helped to save its democracy and prevent a civil war".[24] Also during the month, Touadéra called for areferendum to abolishterm limits (at the time set to two five-year terms), while also increasing the length of the term to seven years. Without the change, Touadéra would have been term-limited and ineligible to stand at the next presidential election. In order to hold the referendum, Touadéra sacked the head of the constitutional court in October 2022, which had previously ruled the referendum unconstitutional.[25][26] The referendum was boycotted by the opposition.
In April 2024, he was received at the Elysée in France, for the second time since the start of his mandate in 2016, to sign a roadmap which will provide for the reestablishment of bilateral relations between the Central African Republic and France.[27]
On February 10, 2025, Touadera announced the creation of $CAR as the country's officialmeme coin describing it as an "experiment" in national development. The coin briefly reached a US$900 million market cap[28] before experiencing a significant price drop of over 90%.[29]
He was adeacon in aBaptist church of the Fraternal Union of Baptist Churches,[30] and is still a member of this union.[31]
Touadéra ispolygynous and married to two women, Brigitte Touadéra and Marguerite "Tina" Touadéra.[32] Both wives had reportedly been vying for the title of First Lady of the Central African Republic behind the scenes.[32] Touadéra has three children.[1]
Wagner appears to have tapped this possibility at the highest level, reportedly serving as CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera's personal security detail.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of the Central African Republic 2008–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Central African Republic 2016–present | Incumbent |
| Central African Republic (1960–1976) |  | |
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| Central African Empire (1976–1979) | ||
| Central African Republic (1979–present) | ||
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| Ubangi-Shari (1903–1960) |  | |
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| Central African Republic (1960–1976) | ||
| Central African Empire (1976–1979) | ||
| Central African Republic (1979–present) | ||
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| Academics | |
| Other | |
