In this article for The Conversation, ABI staff member Tim Glawion, together with Marius Mouguia analyzes what happens with foreign development aid funds in the Central African Republic, and how it could be better utilized to benefit the local population.
As a team, Glawion and Crépin Mouguia bring together their respective expertise in political science and anthropology: "Together, we tried to bridge the gap between the qualitative and quantitative approach, and to link hard data on budgeting and development aid with an understanding on what these numbers mean locally for one of the the world's poorest populations."
Contrary to the popular belief that the Central African Republic (CAR) is excluded from international development aid, the authors show that foreign funds are, in fact, present in the country, accounting for up to 50% of the national budget. However, "key public sectors have been supported exclusively by foreign aid since the civil war (2016–2025). This outsourcing has enabled the state to militarize itself". Thus, real spending on the agricultural sector amounted to only 2% in 2024, while spending on the defense sector rose to 18%.
Glawion and Mouguia argue that national and international actors in the CAR must change their understanding of investing in security, so that they push long-term investments in education, health, and agriculture, rather than in the defense sector.
The article is available on the The Conversation website in French.