Art. 21 of Law No. 24.001 stipulates that the controller of a data processing operation may transfer personal data to a foreign state only if the receiving state possesses legislation that guarantees a level of protection equivalent to that established by this law. Moreover, the transfer of personal data to a country that does not provide an equivalent level of protection may be permitted as an exception under specific conditions, including when the data subject, having been informed of the absence of such protection, has explicitly and unequivocally consented to the proposed transfer.

CAR has not signed any agreement with binding commitments on data transfer across-border.

Law No. 24.001 establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of personal data in the Central African Republic. In addition to this general regime, sector-specific legislation governs data protection within the telecommunications sector. Notably, Law No. 18.002 of 17 January 2018, which regulates electronic communications, includes explicit provisions concerning the protection of users’ privacy in relation to electronic communication networks and services (Arts. 112–115), as well as the safeguarding of personal data (Arts. 116–126).

Art. 38 of Law No. 24.001 stipulates that every data controller must designate a data protection officer, tasked with ensuring compliance with the obligations set forth in the Law. Pursuant to Art. 40, only individuals residing within the territory of the Central African Republic who possess the requisite knowledge and qualifications to discharge their functions may be appointed as such officers.

According to the Revised Uniform Act on the Law of Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups, adopted by the organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) and directly applicable and binding in the Central African Republic, the amount of the share capital is freely determined by the partners. However, the Uniform Act sets a minimum share capital of 10,000,000 CFA Francs (approx. USD 16,800) for certain companies (Arts. 65 and 387).

According to the Bangui Agreement, ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including the Central African Republic, applicants resident outside the territory of the Member States must file through an agent selected in one of those Member States (Section III, Art. 8). The professional status of agent accredited to the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is governed by the Regulations on the Profession of Authorised Agent before the OAPI.

The CAR is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The Revised Bangui Agreement is a regional intellectual property law that is not only a regional convention applicable in all member states but also serves as a national intellectual property law in the Central African Republic and each of the other member states. The Revised Bangui Agreement contains provisions on copyright in Annex VII: Chapter IV (Limitations to Economic Rights) and establishes a regime of copyright exceptions. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. In addition, Chapter II of Ordinance No. 85.002 also provides for limitations on copyright.

The CAR has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Central Africa Republic is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).

It is reported that the Government is authorised to conduct competitive bidding when the price of the project exceeds 250 million CFA francs (approx. USD 415,160) for services and above 25 Million CFA francs (approx. USD 41,516) for intellectual services.

According to Law No. 08-017 on the Public Procurement Code in CAR, when awarding a public contract or a public service delegation, preference may be given to the bid submitted by a company with its head office in the Central African Republic. Firms having their registered office in a CEMAC Member State may benefit from the above-mentioned preference rules. This margin of preference, quantified as a percentage of the amount of the bid, may in no case exceed 15% for national firms and 10% for firms having their headquarters in CEMAC countries (Art. 64).
Moreover, a contract applicant who plans to subcontract at least 30% of the total value of the contract to a company in a CEMAC member state may be granted a margin of preference not exceeding 5%, which may be added to the preference referred to in Art. 64 of this law (Art. 26). This applies to contracts for a local authority or one of its public establishments.

CAR is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) nor does it have observer status.