When the Central African Republic (CAR) made Bitcoin legal tender in 2022, it shocked the world. This small, landlocked nation, one of the least connected countries on Earth, had just leapfrogged into the crypto era.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra promised to use blockchain to rebuild the economy. His government unveiled the Sango Project, an ambitious plan to digitize the nation’s resources and attract global investors.

But three years later, that dream has taken an unexpected turn, from a state-backed crypto revolution to a meme coin experiment that left investors scratching their heads.

🚀 The Sango Project: A Nation’s Crypto Dream


The Sango Project, launched in 2022, was presented as Africa’s boldest blockchain initiative.

Its goals were groundbreaking:


  • Make Sango Coin the official national digital asset.


  • Tokenize CAR’s natural resources such as gold, diamonds, and timber.


  • Offer land, e-residency, and citizenship through crypto investments.


  • Build a crypto island to attract developers and investors.


The vision was clear: turn CAR into a crypto hub of Africa.


But reality soon caught up.


The CAR Constitutional Court ruled that offering citizenship and land via crypto was unconstitutional.

The ICO saw poor participation and unclear tokenomics.

Internet penetration stood below 15 percent, limiting adoption in a country where most people still lack access to basic banking services.


By late 2024, the Sango Project had gone silent. Its once-active channels and communities dwindled, and investors were left waiting for updates that never came.

🪙 Then Came the Meme Coin

Just when observers thought CAR’s crypto story was over, President Touadéra made another unexpected move.

In February 2025, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the launch of a meme coin called $CAR, with the official account @CARMemecoinNews and contract address:

7oBYdEhV4GkXC19ZfgAvXpJWp2Rn9pm1Bx2cVNxFpump

In his post, he described it as “an experiment to unite people, promote national pride, and put the Central African Republic on the world stage in a new way.”

Within hours, the coin’s market cap reportedly surged to $900 million before crashing just as quickly.

What was meant to be a playful symbol of innovation suddenly turned into a global talking point about legitimacy, governance, and security.

⚠️ What Went Wrong


Investigations soon raised red flags:


  • The official website vanished shortly after launch.


  • The X account linked to the project was suspended.


  • Deepfake detection tools suggested the announcement video might have been AI-generated.


  • Observers noted the post was written in English, not French or Sango, and published at an unusual hour for the president’s timezone.

Whether it was a hack, an unauthorized stunt, or a mismanaged experiment, the result was the same: confusion among investors and embarrassment for the country’s leadership.



💬 Lessons for Emerging Markets


The story of Sango Coin and $CAR reveals both the promise and the peril of state-led crypto initiatives.


  • Transparency matters. Without public accountability and clear communication, investor trust evaporates.


  • Infrastructure comes first. Digital economies need reliable internet and regulation before tokenization.


  • Memes can move markets but not economies. A meme coin tied to national politics risks undermining legitimacy rather than building it.

While the CAR’s intentions may have been rooted in innovation, execution missteps turned what could have been a pioneering project into a cautionary tale for governments experimenting with crypto.



🔮 What’s Next?

President Touadéra is expected to seek a third term in the upcoming December 2025 election after constitutional changes extended presidential terms.

Whether the Sango Project or $CAR meme coin re-emerges as part of his campaign remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: the world will be watching closely to see if the Central African Republic can turn its digital experiments into real economic transformation.

For now, both Sango Coin and $CAR remain suspended in uncertainty, powerful reminders that in the world of Web3, vision alone is not enough.

🧩 Sources

  • Reuters – Central African Republic debuts meme coin ‘experiment’


  • Decrypt – CAR’s meme coin explodes and crashes


  • CoinGeek – Scam claims hit CAR leader memecoin


  • Mariblock – Was the meme coin real or a hack?