Timeline
Born in Bangui on 21 April.
Earned his first doctorate in mathematics from Lille University.
Appointed Prime Minister of the Central African Republic.
Dismissed as Prime Minister.
Elected President of the Central African Republic and sworn into office on 30 March.
Central African Republic approved Bitcoin as an official currency.
Called for a referendum to abolish presidential term limits.
Re-elected for a third term as President.
Biography
Faustin-Archange Touadéra is a Central African politician and mathematician, serving as President of the Central African Republic since March 2016. He previously held the position of Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013. Touadéra was first elected president in the 2015–16 general election and subsequently re-elected for a second term in 2020–21 and a third term in 2025, amidst political violence and low voter turnout. His rule has seen the removal of presidential term limits following a contested 2023 constitutional referendum and repression of opposition. Since at least 2023, he has been backed by the Russian Wagner Group.
Early Life & Background
Born in Bangui, then Ubangi-Shari and now in the Central African Republic, on 21 April 1957, Faustin-Archange Touadéra is the son of a driver and a farmer. His family originated from Damara. He received his secondary education at the Barthelemy Boganda College in Bangui.
Education
Faustin-Archange Touadéra obtained a baccalaureate in 1976 from Barthelemy Boganda College. He attended the University of Bangui and the University of Abidjan. He earned a doctorate in mathematics in 1986 from Lille University of Science and Technology (Lille I) in France, supervised by Daniel Gourdin. He later earned another doctorate, also in mathematics, in 2004 from the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon, supervised by Marcel Dossa.
Political & Professional Career
Faustin-Archange Touadéra was appointed Prime Minister by President François Bozizé on 22 January 2008, serving until his dismissal on 12 January 2013. He then ran as an independent candidate in the 2015–16 presidential election, winning in the second round with 62% of the vote and sworn in on 30 March 2016. He was re-elected for a second term in the 2020–21 election and a third term in the 2025 Central African election. During his presidency, he oversaw the approval and later abandonment of Bitcoin as an official currency in 2022-2023. He called for a referendum in 2023 to abolish presidential term limits, which passed, and has been backed by the Wagner Group since at least 2023. His government has repressed opposition, particularly ahead of the 2025 election, which he won with 77.9% of the vote according to the Constitutional Court.
Key Achievements & Legacy
Elected President of the Central African Republic in 2016, and re-elected in 2020–21 and 2025., Served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 2008 to 2013., Earned two doctorates in mathematics from French and Cameroonian universities., Served as Rector of the University of Bangui from 2005 to 2008, launching key initiatives like an entrepreneurship training program., Signed the instrument of participation for the Central African Republic in the intergovernmental university EUCLID in 2010.