Central African Republic President lays foundation stone for China-built photovoltaic power station

Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera delivers a speech at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a photovoltaic power station on Jan.17 in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic. Courtesy of Chinese Embassy in the Central African Republic

The foundation stone laying ceremony of a China-built photovoltaic power station was held on Jan. 17 in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic.

The power project is the result of an agreement reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera during the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

It has been hailed as a flagship project of bilateral cooperation. With a power generation capacity of 15 megawatts, the project is expected to relieve the electricity shortage in the Central African Republic, a country that has an average power supply rate of only 8 percent.

Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera, Prime Minister Firmin Ngrébada, more than 10 ministers from the country, as well as Chinese ambassador to the Central African Republic, Chen Dong, attended the ceremony.