This 65-year-old mathematician has been the president of one of the poorest and most conflictive nations since 2016. Only 8% of Central African citizens have access to the Internet, which hampers the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender.

Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the Central African President, introduced a bill – approved unanimously – to give Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender status.

Since 2016, that 65-year-old mathematician has ruled one of the poorest and most conflictive countries. There have been frequent coups d’état, rebellions, and two civil wars under his belt.

Touadéra promised to turn the Central African Republic (CAR) into a peaceful and developing country. He included the disarmament of factions in conflict, which his administration has not yet achieved.

The Central African ruler must face the difficult task of keeping peace and ensuring security in his country with no support from the French armed forces. The European country ended the military intervention in the African nation shortly after he took office.

Although Touadéra governs with a heavy, it seems to be hard for him to achieve his peaceful mission. Presumed extrajudicial executions and possible human rights violations by the armed forces in the country tarnish his name.

There is little information about the facet as a bitcoiner of the Central African President. However, he wrote some expressions of support for the cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto on his recently-created Twitter account.

Touadéra reveals his shared love of numbers and Bitcoin. He describes mathematics as the language of the universe and Bitcoin as the universal currency.

The President also expressed his enthusiasm about the possibilities Bitcoin would offer the Central African Republic. He said that his government is pleased to be among the pioneers of an innovative technology that creates value for everyone. He added that his country would change from being invisible to becoming recognized and appreciated.

That hope of recognition and economic prosperity was also evident when the Ministry of State Obed Namsio released the Central African Bitcoin Law.

It is Hard to Adopt Bitcoin in that Hostile Environment

The price appreciation of Bitcoin over the years and the hope that the upward trend will continue have contributed to its adoption.

The Central African Republic, one of the least developed countries, has an area of 622,980 km² and has almost 5 million inhabitants. Their estimated life expectancy is 51 years for men and 55 for women.

Data from the United Nations (UN) and Amnesty International indicates that about 2.29 million people face acute food insecurity. At least 80,000 Central African children under the age of five are at risk of severe malnutrition.

The lack of resources to ease the use of Bitcoin hampers its adoption as legal tender. Statistics show there are 1.60 million cell phones in the country, an average of 0.34 per person. Meanwhile, the figure is 1.2 per person in the European Union.

Recent data shows that less than 8% of the Central African population has access to the Internet.

Among other things, Toudéra will have to enforce the recently approved law in this hostile context. The 10th article of the document establishes that any economic operator has to accept cryptocurrencies as payment.

In the above environment, the cases contemplated in article 21 could become more of a rule than an exception. It excludes those who have no access to technologies that allow transactions in cryptocurrencies from the obligation to accept Bitcoin.

By Alexander Salazar

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