Central African Republic eyes legal framework for crypto adoption

Published at: Jan. 22, 2023

Central African Republic (CAR), a developing country in Central Africa, set up a 15-member committee responsible for drafting a bill on the use of cryptocurrencies and tokenization in the region.

According to Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the president of CAR, cryptocurrencies can potentially help eradicate the country’s financial barriers. He believed in creating a business-friendly environment supported by a legal framework for cryptocurrency usage. A rough translation of the official press release reads:

“With access to cryptocurrencies, the monetary barriers existing until now will disappear, the main objective of the measures adopted by the government being the development of the national economy.”

The committee responsible for drafting the crypto bill comprises 15 experts from five ministries of CAR — Ministry of Mines and Geology, Ministry of Waters, Forest, Hunting and Fishing, Ministry of Agriculture ad Rural Development, Ministry of Town Planning, Land Reform, Towns and Housing and Ministry of Justice, Promotion of Human Rights and Good Governance.

15 experts #centrafricains issus de plusieurs ministères de mon gouvernement composent le comité chargé d'élaborer un nouveau projet de loi plus complet sur l'utilisation des crypto-monnaies et d'offrir à la RCA cette opportunité unique de développement économique & technologique pic.twitter.com/bZTS8HQxH3

— Faustin-Archange Touadéra (@FA_Touadera) January 20, 2023

Through collaboration, the members are tasked with working on a legal framework that will allow cryptocurrencies to operate in Central African Republic and expedite the development of the national economy.

Crypto initiatives from the African continent marked another milestone as Nigerian crypto exchange Roqqu bagged a virtual currency license for the European Economic Area after two years of waiting for permission from regulatory authorities.

Roqqu CEO Benjamin Onomor told Cointelegraph that off-shore Africans send back over $5 billion to their relatives, and the current remittance system slows the process.

“It makes a lot of sense to solve this problem by using crypto as the vehicle. Crypto is a faster and cheaper route that can bridge the gap and help reduce fees in moving money globally. This is the core of the problem we want to solve,” he added.