Sida's work in Chad

Chad is a country marked by chronic poverty, with a large percentage of the population living in poverty and an average life expectancy of 54 years.¹ One in three people rely on humanitarian aid; women and children are most in need.²

Chad is one of the fastest growing countries in the world in terms of population growth³ and corruption is widespread.⁴ There is a shortage of hospitals, wells and schools throughout the country. There are serious violations of human rights, as well as breaches of humanitarian law.

Chad is one of several countries around Lake Chad to suffer from armed attacks, security incidents and kidnappings. The other countries are Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria. Three out of four people in the Lake Chad region have been forced to leave their homes. There are more than 500,000 refugees from Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Cameroon in Chad.

The crisis around Lake Chad shows no signs of abating.

After the sudden death of Chad’s president in April 2021, his son Mahamat Déby took over as part of a military-led transitional government. Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the autumn of 2022.

The Lake Chad region is extremely vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, with temperatures rising faster in parts of Chad than anywhere else in the world. Rainfall is erratic and unpredictable. In 2021, 250,000 people were affected by floods in Chad and many lost their homes. The lake and river basins are also affected by environmental degradation and water shortages during dry periods.