Business opportunities: 4,000 km of roads to pave in Chad

At the Chad-Tunisia economic forum, Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno invited Tunisian business people to invest in his country. Of the 6,000 km of roads to be built in the construction and public works sector, he said, only 2,000 km have been completed — an opportunity Tunisians should seize.

For the Chadian president, the areas for cooperation in Chad are broad and varied. Tunisian business people can come to Chad, which has only just begun its development, and invest in every sector. “Africa must open up to Africans and to African skills. Chad is one big construction site. We have a programme of 6,000 kilometres of paved roads and have completed only 2,000. We also have major projects in agriculture, livestock, water, hydraulics, energy — in every field. Our vision is to unite the African continent and accelerate its development,” says Idriss Deby Itno.

For Chad’s leader, Tunisia is an essential force for the continent. “Chad needs African skills and resources to industrialise and create wealth on the continent, and only Africans can do it. The days of looking to Europe or elsewhere are over. We have been independent for 60 years, yet we are neither developed nor out of poverty,” the Chadian president insists.

According to close aides of Idriss Deby Itno, agriculture — mainly subsistence farming, together with livestock and fishing — employs more than 80% of Chad’s working population and accounts for 22.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). The main food crops are sorghum, millet and groundnuts, while cotton, sugar cane, gum arabic and tobacco are grown as cash crops. Herds include cattle, goats, sheep, camels and poultry. All of these are business opportunities for Tunisia, which has signed a framework agreement with Chad in this field.

Mohamed Moncef Marzouki’s country has extensive agricultural experience. Its farming is mechanised and moved to second-generation agriculture several years ago — a goal Idriss Deby Itno’s Chad has set itself for 2025.

Joining the CFA franc zone

The other opportunity Tunisia hopes to seize with Chad’s help is joining the CFA franc zone. Tunisian President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki said as much during the June 2014 economic forum in N’Djamena. For him, Tunisia wants to belong to several sub-regional groupings in order to develop. “Today’s world is an open one, and it is dangerous for any country to turn in on itself. A country that belongs to regional groupings grows richer. Tunisia is asking for Chad’s support, above all to join the CFA franc zone,” he told the Chadian press.