Central African Republic - Highway Project

eTUvRN TO RESTRICTED REPORTS DESK FIE COPY Report No. PTR-la \VITHIN ONE WEEK This report was prepared for use within the Bank and its affiliated organizations. They do not accept responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The report moy not be published nor may it be quoted as representing their views. INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION APPRAISAL OF A HIGHWAY PROJECT CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC March 11, 1969 Transportation Projects Department  Currency &quivalents: Currency Unit = CFA Franc (CFAF) CFAF 1 - US$.004 US$1 - CFAF 247 CFAF 1 million =us$4,o5o Fiscal Year: January 1 to December 31 Weights and Measures: Metric Metric: British/US Equivalent 1 kilometer (km) = 0.62 miles (mi) 1 meter (m) = 3.28 feet (ft) 1 hectare (ha) =2.47 acres (ac) 1 liter (1) =0.22 imp. gallons - 0.26 gallons (US) 1 metric ton (m ton)= 2,204 pounds (lbs) Abbreviations - Acronyms ATEC - Agence Transequatoriale des Communications CAR - Central African Republic CFCO Railway - Chemin de Fer Congo-Ocean DPW - Directorate of Public Works FAC - Fonds d'Aide et de Cooperation FED - Fonds Europeen de Developpement LUDP - United Nations Development Program  CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF A HIGUHWAY PROJIT Table of Contents Page SUMMARY i 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. BACKGROUND 2 A. General 2 B. The Transport Sector 2 3. THE HIGHdAY SECTOR 6 A. The Highway Network 6 B. Characteristies and Growth of Road Traffic 6 C. Highway Administration 6 D. Highway Planning and Finance 7 E. Highway Engineering and Construction 7 F. Maintenance 8 4. THE PROJECT 9 A. Description 9 B. Cost Estimates 10 C. Execution and Financing il 5. ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION 13 A. Service Area of the Bangui-M'baiki Road 13 B. Traffic 1h C. Economic Benefits 15 6. RECOMMENDATION 16 This report was prepared by Messrs. A. Bergan and R.H. Snel, Engineers, and T. Oursin, Economist.  Table of Contents -2- TABIES 1. Port of Bangui, traffic 1961-1967 2. Road User Charges and Road M5aintenance Costs 3. Highway Network: Road Class and Responsibility for Maintenance 4. Composition of Vehicle Fleet 5. Imports of Gasoline and Diesel Fuel 6. Imports of Vehicles and Tires 7. Bangui-M'baiki Road: Design Standards 8. Basic data for calculation of economic costs and benefits MAPS Central African Republic Road System Central African Republic International Transport  CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF A HIGHWAY PROJECT SUMMARY i. The Government of the Central African Republie (CAR) has requested IDA assistance in financing a highway project consisting of: ti) the reconstruction of the Bangui-M'baiki road (102 km); and (ii) the provision of equipment to maintain the road. ii. The total cost of the project, including contingencies, is esti- mated at about US$5.6 million equivalent. The foreign exchange component is estimated at about US$4.2 million equivalent and will be financed from the proposed credit which will be the first lending operation by either the Bank or the Association in the CAR. Local currency requirements will be provided by the Government. iii. Detailed engineering of the project road was carried out by con- sultants SAUTI (Italy) in 1965/66 under a FED agreement but had to be supple- mented by the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) in 1968. The project in- eludes financing of the foreign exchange costs of these supplementary engineering works and the cost of prequalification of the total of con- tracting firms by consultants, which amounts to US$23,000. iv. Design standards are satisfactory; contracts for construction and the procurement of highway maintenance equipment will be on the basis of international competitive bidding procedures. Supervision of the project will be by the Directorate of Public Works. V. The economic evaluation of the project is based on a report prepared by consultants SAUTI, which were engaged at the Bank's expense at the end of 1967. Reconstruction of the project road, which is one of the most important highway links of the country, will produce savings in vehicle operating costs yielding an economic return of about 14% in directly measurable benefits. vi. Two UNDP financed surveys are being carried out in the CAR, covering a road maintenance study for the entire road network, a feasibility study for the Sibut-Bambari road and a regional transport survey for the CAR and Cameroon. Preliminary results of the last study indicate that the Bangui-M'baiki road will be the first section of a recommended link between Bangui and Douala, Cameroon's port at the Atlantic Ocean. vii. The project provides a suitable basis for an IDA Credit of US$4.2 million to the Government of the CAR.  CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF A HIGIWAY PROJECT 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Early in 1966 the Government of the Central African Republie (CAR) requested IDA assistance in financing part of its highway program. As a result of this request, the Bank engaged at its own expense in late 1967 the Italian Consulting Engineering firm SAUTI to study the economic justification of rehabilitating the Bangui-M'baiki Road. This study and subsequent discussions with the Government have led to a request to IDA to finance a project which comprises: a. Reconstruction of the Bangui-M'baiki Road (102 km), including (i) supplementary engineering works carried out by the Directorate of Public Works (DPW); and, (ii) supervision of construction works by the DPW; b. Provision of equipment to maintain the road. 1.2 The Bank is the executing agent for two UNDP studies now being carried out in the country: (i) a regional transport survey in the southwestern part of the country and the adjacent part of Cameroon uzdertaken jointly by the consulting firms NEDECO (Netherlands) and BCEOM (France); and, (ii) a feasibility study to be followed by final engineering for the reconstruction of the Sibut-Bambari Road, combined with the preparation of a program for improv- ing road maintenance operations for the entire road network of the CAR. The consultants are Research and Development (Belgium). The result of the studies will assist the Government of the Central African Republic in the planning of the transport infrastructure of the southwestern region and in the preparation of the maintenance budget for the next five years (see paras. 2.9 and 3.14). 1.3 The proposed credit would be the first lending operation in the CAR by either the Bank or the Association. 1.h This report is based on engineering and economic studies carried out by SAUTI, supplementary engineering works and cost estimates prepared by the DPW and the findings of missions which visited the country in Octo- ber 1967, and in February and October 1968. The last mission consisted of 4ossrs. Bergan and Snel (Engineers) and T. Oursin (Economist). This report was prepared by the members of this last mission.  - 2 - 2. BACKGROUND A. General 2.1 The Central African Republic, under French administration until 1960, is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa (see Maps). It covers an area of about 625,000 m 2, about twice the size of Italy. The country lies on the northern edge of the Congo river basin. It is bordered on the north by Chad, the east by the Sudan, the south by the two Congos and the west by Cameroon. In the southern part numerous water courses feed the Oubangui River, a tributary of the Congo. The rivers in the north flow ultimately into Lake Chad. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from April to November. 2.2 In 1966 the population was estimated at about 1.r million, with a very low overall density of about two inhabitants per km . The main pop- ulation centers, which account for more than one-quarter of the total pop- ulation, are increasing in size as migration from rural areas continues, whereas large areas in the northeast of the country are virtually uninhabited. Population growth is estimated at about 2% per annum. 2.3 Subsistence agriculture is the dominant factor in the economy of the CAR. Cotton and coffee are the main export crops but the quantities involved are relatively small. Coffee production, about 11,000 tons in 1966 and 9,000 tons in 1967, has varied over the years due principally to weather conditions. Cotton exports reached a peak of about 16,000 tons of lint in 1958/59 but declined during the early years of independence to about 8,000 tons in 1966. In the recent past, the Government has made strenuous efforts to reverse the trend; as a result, cotton exports went up to 12,000 tons in 1967. The country is rich in timber but exploitation is handicapped by lack of transport and by long distances to the coast. Diamond mining has been contributing increasingly to the growth of the economy during the present decade; recorded diamond exports have risen from US$1.7 million equivalent in 1960 to approximately US$17 million equivalent in 1967 when they represented about 50% of all exports. 2.4 Existing national income statistics are insufficient for a detailed analysis of recent trends and developments. The annual growth of the monetary GDP (at 1961 prices) which was about 8% from 1956 to 1961, slowed down to an average of less than 3% in the years thereafter but gained momentum in 1966 and 1967. Total GDP per capita at current market prices was estimated at about CFAF 28,000 (US$110) in 1967. B. The Transport Sector (a) International Transport 2.5 Being a landlocked country, the CAR depends on facilities in its neighboring countries for international transport. There are at present two principal trade routes to ports on the Atlantic Ocean:  - 3 - (i) by river from Bangui to Brazzaville (1,300 km) and thence by rail to Pointe Noire (515 km); and, (ii) by road from Bangui to Yaounde (1,100 km) and thence by rail to Douala (309 km). (i) Bangui to Pointe Noire Route 2.6 The route via Brazzaville to Pointe Noire carries virtually all goods to and from the country. Under an agreement initiated during the period of the French administration, the route is administered by the Agence Transequatoriale des Communications (ATEC), an institution jointly controlled by CAR, Chad, Congo (3) and Gabon. ATEC operates the ports of Pointe Noire, Brazzaville and Bangui as well as the CFCO railway from Brazzaville to Pointe Noire. It also maintains the waterways from Brazza- ville to the CAR and the highways connecting Chad and Gabon with. this network, 2.7 In 1967 the port of Bangui handled about 213,000 tons of cargo, about one-quarter of which was for Chad (Table 1). Salo, a small port on the Sangha river in the southwestern corner of the country had a turnover of about 8,000 tons in the same year. 2.8 River transport on the Oubangui is carried out by private enter- prise. Transport rates on the rail-river system vary according to commod- ity and direction of movement. Domnstream from Bangui to Pointe Noire, total transport charges range from US$28 to 56 per ton, whereas upstream the costs range from US$42 to 70 per ton. (ii) Bangui to Douala Route 2.9 The roads to Yaounde are in bad condition so these routes are seldom used for long distance transport. Transport charges between Ban- gui and Douala are about US$70 per ton. The new Cameroon Railway, from Yaounde to Jelabo, will not significantly reduce transport costs between Bangui and Douala and would only marginally affect traffic using the route to Pointe Noire. However, the Government hopes that, by improving overland connections to the Cameroon Railway, it will lessen its depend- ence on a single outlet to the sea as well as reduce transport costs. A UNDP survey (see para.l.2), is currently investigating the possibilities of coordinating transport development in the southwest of the country and the adjacent parts of Cameroon. The survey will provide preliminary engineering studies and detailed recommendations for the most suitable transport link between Bangui and Douala. Preliminary results of the study indicate that the 3angui-Nil'baiki Road would be the first section of the recommended link from Bangui to Douala. (b) Internal Transport 2.10 The CAR's internal transport is moved almost exclusively by road. The highway network (see para.3.1) is generally adequate in length but transport conditions are difficult due to lack of highway maintenance.  - 4 - Domestic river transport on the Upper Bangui, east of Bangui, has been decreasing in recent years because of increased competition by road trans- port. 2.11 The country is served by a modern airport at Bangui which is used by large jet aircraft of international airlines; there are also twen- ty smaller fields, 10 of which are regularly served by Air Bangui, which handles the bulk of internal air traffic. (c) Transport Policy 2.12 Prior to independence the desire to maintain a transport link between Pointe Noire and Fort Lamy in Chad dominated transport policy in the area. The planning of transport aimed specifically at serving the needs of the CAR, was initiated only after independence. 2.13 The Four-Year Development Plan 1967-1970 clearly emphasizes the importance of improving the country's highway network. There is little problem of transport coordination as internal transport other than by road is negligible. 2.14 The trucking industry has to meet great seasonal fluctuations; cotton production has to be moved to Bangui within a short period and requires considerable trucking capacity which is underemployed during the remainder of the year. This situation causes sharp competition with- in the industry whiclh is characterized by an uneven distribution of capac- ity bettween a few large and well-organized companies and a large number of small truckers. 2.15 In order to improve the economic situation of the trucking industry, the Government is supporting a cooperative of truckers which was established in 1968. The cooperative provides technical assistance to small truckers and attempts to pool trucking capacity and transport demand. Ilem- bership in the cooperative is voluntary. (d) Road User Charges and i^aintenance Costs 2.16 Apart from income taxes, turnover taxes and import duties on vehicles and spare parts, special taxes on road transport activities are collected in the form of: (i) annual license fees and taxes on the capacity of commercial vehicles ("Patente"); (ii) taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. On a bituminous surface road, these taxes account for about 15% of auto- mobile operating costs and 65, of those for trucks.  2.17 It is estimated that the revenues from these taxes generated by the traffic on the project road during the course of its economic life will amount to CFAF 450 million. These revenues would largely cover tlhe main- tenance costs of the project road which are estimated at about CFAF 380 million during the same period (see Table 2 for details).  - 6 - 3. THE HIGHWAY SECTOR A. The Highway Network 3.1 The highway network (19,300 km) is classified into three cate- gories: national (primary), regional (secondary), and local (tertiary or feeder) (see Table 3). The only asphalt road in the country links Bangui and Damara (76 km). The total length of the network has not increased over the past decade, but roads have been reclassified according to eco- nomic importance and traffic densities. B. Characteristics and Growth of Traffic 3.2 Bangui is the focus for road transport in the country. Foreign trade and transit to and from Chad are linked to its port. The capital is the center of the local industry and the largest market for staple crops. 3.3 The vehicle fleet is small and was estimated at about 8,500 vehicles in January 1967 (see Table 4) compared with about 6,000 vehicles in 1962. Two-thirds of the fleet was registered in Bangui. The average number of motor vehicles per 1000 inhabitants in the CAR is 5.7 compared with 7.2 in East Cameroon. Two large transport companies alone accounted for over 50% of the total trucking capacity. 3.h Statistics on the growth of road traffic are not available. Indirect evidence such as port traffic at Bangui or imports of transport equipment and fuel (Tables 1, 5 and 6) is difficult to evaluate but seems to indicate that growth rates have been low in recent years. 3.5 In the past, traffic counts have been carried out at a few points but no attempt was made to evaluate the results systematically. In 1967 a new series of counts was started on both the Bangui-M'baiki and the Bangui- Damara roads and the Government plans to repeat these counts at regular time intervals. Assurances were obtained during negotiations that sound pro- cedures for traffic counts and central processing of results will be established as a basis for future road investments. C. Highway Administration 3.6 Primary and secondary roads, which totaled about 3,h00 km in 1967, are administered and maintained by the Directorate of Public Wtlorks. More than 15,000 km of local roads, predominantly with a low traffic den- sity, are under the administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and local authorities (see Table 3). The international link Bangui-Damara- Batangafo-Fort Archambault is maintained by ATEC (see para. 2.6). 3.7 In 1967 the UN was reorganized, and now comprises two director- ates, one for planning and construction and one for maintenance. The dir- ectorate of planning and construction, which is administered and staffed  - 7 - by French engineers provided by FAIC, operates efficiently. The director- ate of highway maintenance is staffed by local personnel with limited experience in maintenance operations. 3.8 It is the intention of the Government to replace gradually the expatriates by local technical personnel. As this personnel is lacking at present, there is a great need for training facilities. Senior per- sonnel are trained abroad, generally in France. For the intermediate level, personnel training is available at the Public Works College in Fort Lamy in Chad and in Libreville in Gabon. A training center for foremen has recently been established in Bangui. FED and FAC are each contributing 50% of the cost of this training center. The number of CAR nationals who graduated from these training centers has been total- ly insufficient up to now to fill the need for technical personnel. It is to be expected that this situation will slowly improve as the first graduates from the Bangui training center become available in the middle of 1969. D.1 Highway Planning and Finance 3.9 The country's Four-Year Development Plan 1967-70 proposes road investment totalling about USp10 million and includes about 600 km of roads needing rehabilitation. The improvement of the project road, as weU as the Sibut-Bambari road which is the subject of a feasibility study financed by the UNDP (see para.l.2), are included in the Plan. 3.10 Funds for road construction have been provided largely by FED, and to a lesser extent by FAC. Since 1962 about US$o.5 million equivalent has been spent each year on capital works. Funds for road maintenance are financed from the general budget; the appropriations have been insufficient and substantial increases have been proposed in the Four-Year Plan. Funds for the Bangui-Damara-Batangafo-Fort Archambault road are provided by con- tributions from ATEC (see para.3.6). E. Highway Engineering and Construction 3.11 Road design is carried out by consultants on an ad hoc basis, how- ever, the directorate of planning and construction has made progress towards preparing standard specifications and contracts. The design standards for the project road (see Table 7) have been selected with a view to minimizing highway construction costs, and are adequate for existing and foreseeable traffic over the next ten years. Road construction is carried out by pri- vate contracting firms. 3ecause of the very low volume of work in the past five years, most of the foreign contracting firms have closed their local offices. Contracts for which funds are provided by FED limit the bidding to contractors from the European Economic Community.  F. Maintenance 3.12 Maintenance is mechanized, except on local and feeder roads where labor-intensive methods are employed. Although the maintenance budget has been increased during the past years, maintenance is still inadequate. This has led to high costs of transportation and unreliable road connec- tions. The maintenance of the local roads is virtually nonexistent. 3.13 Maintenance by the DPW is limited to earth and laterite roads as the only asphalt road in the country is being maintained by ATEC. The total budget for maintenance has gradually been increased from 260 million CFAF in 196h to 370 million CFAF in 1967. For 1968 the maintenance budget has been raised to 400 miUion CFAF. Since 1967 the expenditures for main- tenance have been broken down by road section and other components; this aUows a better judgment of the efficiency of maintenance cperations. 3.14 The road network maintenance study (see para. 1.2) is at present in its preliminary stage. The final report of this study may be expected at the end of August 1969. The consultants are required to report on existing maintenance practices and to recommend improvements. A five- year maintenance program for the national highway network will be prepared by the consultants to ensure a satisfactory level of serviceability of this network. 3.15 The consultants for the road maintenance study will also review the present accounting procedures and recommend improvements. During credit negotiations, the Governnent gave an assurance that sufficient appropriations for highway maintenance will be made available and that the conclusions and recommendations of the consultants will be discussed between the Governnent and the Association with a view to agreeing upon an appropriate organiza- tion of the highway maintenance.  - 9 - 4. THE PROJECT A. Description 4.1 The project consists of the following: a. Reconstruction of the Bangui-M'baiki Road (102 km); including (M) supplementary engineering works carried out by the DPW in 1968; and, (ii) supervision of construction works by the DPW. b. Provision of equipment to maintain the road. Reconstruction of the Bangui-M'baiki Road (see Map) 4.2 The present road connects Bangui, the capital of the CAR, with M'baiki. M'baiki is the center of a region with a high agricultural and forestry potential. The road traverses gently rolling terrain which is covered by dense vegetation. The horizontal alignnent is generally good. Drainage of the road is poor because the road surface is mostly below the surrounding ground and the existing drainage channels do not provide a proper run-off. A few sections of the road are exposed to flooding by nearby streams. The roadway is generally about 5 m wide. Some sections have a thin lateritic surface course, but because of lack of maintenance not much of this surface course is left. The road has generally deteri- orated to such a state that it is impassable after rain, even for light vehicles. Five existing reinforced concrete bridges will have to be replaced because of insufficient width. 4.3 The project consists of realigning the sections with sharp curves and the sections in which new bridges have to be built. The road has to be raised to improve the drainage. The pavement width would be widened to 6 m. The whole length of the road would have a cement stabilized base and a double bituminous surface treatment. Supplementary Engineering Works and_Supervision of Construction 4.h The consulting engineering firm of SAUTI carried out detailed engineering of the project during 1965 and 1966. This work was financed by FED. The detailed engineering was, however, not sufficiently complete for cost estimates and bidding documents to be prepared. In 1968 the DPW supplemented bridge designs, carried out additional soil surveys and made additional topographic surveys where realignments were required. Detailed engineering, including bidding documents and cost estimates, have now been satisfactorily completed. The total cost of the additional soul and topo- graphic surveys amounted to $40,000.  - 10 - 4.5 The Government has requested that the construction works be super- vised by the DPW. The directorate of planning and construction of the DPW has sufficient experience in the supervision of the construction of this type of road. Qualified engineers and technical personnel from France have been made available to the CAR under a FAC technical assistance program. IDA obtained assurances during credit negotiations that during the construc- tion of the work, experienced staff for supervision will be kept available, and if determined necessary by the Association, they will be strengthened by the employment of consultants. Procurement of Highway Maintenance Equipment 4.6 Existing highway maintenance equipment is not adequate to ensure proper maintenance of the project road after its completion. As the find- ings of the consultants for the maintenance study will not be available in their final form before the end of August 1969, procuremEnt of maintenance equipment and spare parts should at this stage be confined to that needed for the maintenance of the project road. To this end, an amount of US$250,000 being the foreign cost component of this equipment, is in- cluded in the Credit. B. Cost Estimates h.7 The following table shows the total cost of the project broken down into local and foreign components: CFAF (millions) Us$ (thousands) % of foreign Items Local Foreign Total Local Foreign Total exchange (1) Reconstruction of the Bangui-M'baiki Road 265 795 1,060 1,070 3,230 4,300 75 (2) a. Supplementary engi- neering by DPW 5 5 10 20 20 ho 50 b. Supervision of con- struction by DPW and consultants' services*/ 10 10 20 40 40 80 50 (3) Provision of maintenance equipment and spare parts 12 60 72 50 250 300 83 (4) Contingencies a. Physical (about 10% of the amonunt under (1) ) 28 89 108 110 320 430 75 b. Price escalation (about 10% of the amounts under (1), (2) and (3) ) 30 90 120 110 3h0 450 75 Total Cost of the Project 350 1,0h0 1,390 1,h400 ,200' 5,600 75 */ The cost of supervision covers only cost of transportation of supervising staff on the site, equipment for a soils laboratory on the site and the salaries of two expatriate assistant engineers. The cost of supervision by other technical staff is not included, as the engineering services are provided by the FAC technical assistance program.  - il - 4.8 The cost estimate for the reconstruction of the road was prepared by the DPW on the basis of present construction costs in the CAR. The foreign exchange component is based on an analysis of these construction costs andis estimated at 75%. The cost of the maintenance equipment has been estimated on the basis of recent equipment purchases by the CAR. The foreign cost component for this equipment is the estimated C.I.F. cost at Bangui. The estimates for the reconstruction costs and the maintenance equipment are in line with costs in neighboring countries. 4.9 The cost of topographic and soil surveys, performed by the DPW in 1968, which were required to supplement the detailed engineering, amounted to US$40,000 of which the foreign exchange component is estimated at US$20,000. The cost of prequalification of bidders by the French consulting firm BCEOM, also performed in 1968, which amounted to US$3,000, was entirely in foreign currency. Financing of the foreign exchange component of the cost of the topographic and soil surveys and the prequalification of con- tracting firms, amounting to US$23,000, is included in the Credit. The con- sulting firm BCEOM will be requested by the Government to evaluate the bids, if the DPJ's analysis of bids were to result in a recommendation to award the contract for other than the lowest priced bid. The cost of supervision by the DPW and the consultants' services is estimated at US$80,000, of which the foreign exchange component is estimated at 50%. C. Execution and Financing 4.10 Construction of the road will commence in mid-1969 and will be undertaken by a single contractor. The construction period will be 30 months running over two complete dry seasons; construction should be com- pleted early in 1972. Construction of the project road will be awarded as a single contract on the basis of the Associationts guidelines for inter- national competitive bidding. 4.11 The maintenance equipment will be procured through international competitive bidding. Equipment deliveries will start towards the beginning of 1971, allowing sufficient time for operators to be trained on the new equipment before maintenance of the new road is required. 4.12 On the assumption that construction will start in mid-1969 and allowing a 30 month schedule, annual IDA disbursements are expected to be as follows: 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 Totai US$ in thousands 800 1,200 1,500 500 200*/ 4,2!Dfl */ Funds to be retained from contractor for one year warranty period.  - 12 - 4.13 The Governjent indicated during negotiations that it will make available local funds as needed. 4.11 Disbursements for construction will be made on the basis of the contractor's monthly statements. For road construction the Association will pay 75% of all construction services. For equipment and spare parts it will pay the foreign cost component. For supplementary engineering, the consultants' services and the cost of supervision as included in the project cost, the Association would pay the estimated foreign exchange part, estimated at 50% of the total of these costs. Any surplus remaining in the credit account would be available for cancellation.  - 13 - 5. ECOi;OMIC JUSTIFICATION A. Service Area of the Bangui-1M' baiki Road 5.1 The project road links Bangui, capital of the CAR with M'baiki, chief town of the Lobaye province. It is part of one of the main road connections to Cameroon. 5.2 Lobaye is one of the economically most active provinces of the CAR; with a share of only seven per cent of the total population, it con- tributes at present an estimated 15