ISS African Futures

This document provides a concluding analysis and a set of policy recommendations for the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), highlighting structural challenges in agriculture, energy, and manufacturing that may prevent the region from achieving sustainable development targets by 2043.

• ECCAS faces deep-rooted structural challenges, including a persistent gap between agricultural supply and demand, insufficient crop production, and a reliance on imports. Low electrification rates, particularly in rural areas, further hinder development and increase inequality.
• The region's manufacturing sector generally remains below the African average, with significant contributions limited to a few countries, specifically Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Additionally, the trade balance is vulnerable to external market fluctuations due to a heavy dependence on exports from a small number of resource-rich countries.
• Current progress is deemed insufficient to be transformative; without aggressive interventions, ECCAS is likely to miss its inclusive and sustainable development targets for 2043. Necessary interventions span demographics, health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, financial flows, and governance.
• The document proposes ten specific policy recommendations for the region: attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in agriculture, manufacturing, and renewable energy; facilitating cross-border trade; improving the Central African Early Warning Mechanism (MARAC) and the Central African Multinational Force (FOMAC); diversifying economies away from extractive resources; strengthening healthcare and transportation networks; modernising irrigation; expanding rural secondary education; aligning curricula with labour market needs; and developing value-added products.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). ISS African Futures. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=05-conclusion

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. ISS African Futures. n.d. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=05-conclusion.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=ISS African Futures |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=05-conclusion |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndiss, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ISS African Futures}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ECCAS&topic=05-conclusion}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }