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One region seems above all others to stubbornly buck the positive political and economic trends recorded over two decades by African Energy: it comprises the six Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale (Cemac) countries and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Events in the last month, including a failed coup in Gabon and contested elections in DRC, underline Central Africa’s chronic crisis of leadership. Such political behaviours are increasingly seen as an anachronism in a world structured by social media, as well as by older social bonds and traditional patterns of coercion by elites.

The World Bank announced on 17 January that the International Development Association would provide a $20m grant to help improve the performance of Central African Republic’s power and water suppliers, Energie Centrafricaine (Enerca) and Société des Eaux de Centrafrique (Sodeca), and increase access to water and electricity in the capital Bangui and the towns of Bambari and Berberati.

Energie Centrafricaine (Enerca) is seeking bids by 16 October for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Boali hydropower complex on the M’bali River. The project, to be implemented as part of the planned interconnection of the power grids of CAR and the Democratic Republic of Congo through the Boali hydropower plant, is being financed by the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group.

Dasan Networks announced on 17 October that it had signed a letter of intent for an emergency power project in partnership with Electricité de France and hopes to use Central African Republic (CAR) as a springboard into the wider Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Cemac) region. The project is part of a 2015-30 mid- and long-term investment programme supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) which will focus on the construction of power plants and power transmission facilities.

As the economic powerhouse of southern Africa, with a legacy burnished by its emergence two decades ago from apartheid, South Africa is expected to take a leading role in the continent’s politics. Through players such as African Union secretary-general Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and the expansion of its corporate presence north of the Limpopo, SA is doing just that. Its ambitions are huge: for example, taking a lead in developing the Inga hydroelectric resource in Democratic Republic of Congo. But concerns that high political ambitions are often tainted by low economic motivations have become pervasive during Jacob Zuma’s presidency, emerging again in Central African Republic.

The African Development Bank and the government of Central African Republic signed an agreement on 17 December for a CFA23bn ($47m) grant to finance a project to interconnect the power networks of CAR and Democratic Republic of Congo via the Boali hydro scheme.

Regional governments say they are behind the Grand Inga scheme, and hope it will deliver more power to the sub-region.

With a long-running arbitration case over exploration Block A nearing its end in Washington, the government is gearing up to relicense the acreage, CAR’s energy minister told François Misser in Bangui

As Central African Republic celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence, the weakness of the most basic infrastructure is painfully apparent in a country that has considerable hydroelectric power (HEP) potential

The Congo river is most usually seen as a world-scale hydro resource, with its basin straddling the Equator ensuring a minimum water flow able to sustain a project as large as the 50GW Grand Inga scheme. But the impact of negative trends in regional hydrology could put even Africa's mightiest potential hydroelectric power (HEP) resource at risk, according to some analysts.

Cover Energy AIM listing; Support for high-speed telecoms; World Bank lends $50m for infrastructure; China may develop Lamu deep-water port

The World Bank is considering $8m of funding for an Emergency Power Response Project to improve electricity supply in Bangui and rehabilitate the Boali I and II hydro facilities.

The prospect of Central African Republic eventually emerging as an oil producer is exciting a growing number of potential investors, including an aggressive New York-based private equity player, Chinese arms manu-facturers, Gulf-based interests and a Brussels-based ‘NGO’ that won’t discuss its operations, as well as Colorado-based veteran Jack Grynberg.

Qatar-based investment company IAS International has announced plans for more than E1bn-worth of projects in CAR, led by a Free Zone on an island in the Obangui River (AE 131/14).