The Ministry of Economy and the IOM strengthen their strategic cooperation

Bangui, 22 May 2026 – The partnership between the Central African Republic and the International Organisation for Migration is entering a new strategic phase. The clear aim: promoting stability, community resilience and regional development. 

The Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation, professor Richard Filakota, received a high-level delegation from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Bangui, led by Mr. Mohammed Abdiker, Chief of Staff at IOM in Geneva, accompanied by Ms. Sylvia Ekra, Regional Director for West and Central Africa based in Dakar, and Ms. Aïssatou Aissatou Guisse, IOM Country Representative in the Central African Republic. 

This high-level meeting reflects the Central African Government’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships aligned with national priorities for development and stabilisation. Discussions focused on several key areas of cooperation: 

• the future Memorandum of Understanding intended to govern relations between the MEPCI and the IOM;  

• the contribution of the diaspora to economic development and investment in the CAR;  

• the challenges of stabilisation and community resilience;  

• support for the management, structuring, development and equipping of border posts;  

• the development of economic corridors;  

• collaboration on economic migration flows in mining areas, to prevent security risks and strengthen territorial governance.  

Professor Richard Filakota praised the IOM’s ongoing commitment to the Central African Republic and reaffirmed the Government’s determination to build an innovative, operational partnership focused on sustainable solutions for the benefit of the population. 

The event also paves the way for the official mission scheduled for Bossangoa on 21st May 2026. This is dedicated to the handover of community infrastructure funded by the Swiss Confederation and implemented by the IOM for the benefit of internally displaced persons and host communities. 

This meeting marks an important step in consolidating cooperation aimed at strengthening peace, organised mobility, territorial governance and the sustainable transformation of the Central African Republic.