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The President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who currently chairs the Conference of Heads of State of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), has announced a high-level summit aimed at unifying two of Central Africa’s key regional blocs.
Scheduled for August 9, 2025, the summit will bring together leaders from CEMAC and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to discuss the long-anticipated merger of the two regional economic communities.
According to La Plume de l’Aigle, the decision comes amid growing efforts to harmonize subregional policies in line with the African Union’s integration agenda.
“This is a skeleton that isn’t entirely different from those that already existed,” noted Charles Assamba Ongodo, Vice-President of the CEMAC Commission, referring to the shared objectives of both organizations.
The merger, he added, is more of a strategic consolidation than a complete overhaul.
CEMAC, comprising six countries and representing a population of approximately 60 million, will be joining forces with ECCAS, whose 11 member states total over 218 million people.
The fusion aims to streamline decision-making, boost intra-African trade, and create a stronger collective platform for peace, security, and sustainable development across Central Africa.
Preparations for the summit are already underway.
Central African Republic’s Foreign Minister, Sylvie Baïpo Temon, has formally notified all relevant institutions to make “the practical arrangements for organizing the said conference.”
The name of the new regional entity will be determined by the heads of state during the summit, marking a new chapter for regional integration in Africa.
The unified body is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the region’s future political, economic, and security architecture.
The upcoming summit is widely seen as a test of political will and regional unity, and could set a precedent for broader continental convergence under the African Union’s framework.
