Editing Chad (section)

== Economy ==
{{further|Economy of Chad|Agriculture in Chad|Petroleum industry in Chad}}
[[File:GDP per capita development of Chad.svg|thumb|GDP per capita development of Chad, since 1950]]
The United Nations' [[Human Development Index]] ranks Chad as the seventh poorest country in the world, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. The [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] ([[purchasing power parity]]) per capita was estimated as [[United States dollar|US$]]1,651 in 2009.<ref name="IMFWEO.TD" /> Chad is part of the [[Bank of Central African States]], the [[Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa]] (UDEAC) and the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] ([[OHADA]]).<ref name="ohada.com">{{cite web | title = OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa | url = http://www.ohada.com/index.php | access-date = 22 March 2009 | archive-date = 26 March 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033744/http://www.ohada.com/index.php | url-status = live }}</ref>

Chad's currency is the [[Central African CFA franc|CFA franc]]. In the 1960s, the [[mining industry of Chad]] produced [[sodium carbonate]], or natron. There have also been reports of [[gold]]-bearing quartz in the [[Biltine Prefecture]]. However, years of civil war have scared away foreign investors; those who left Chad between 1979 and 1982 have only recently begun to regain confidence in the country's future. In 2000, major direct foreign investment in the oil sector began, boosting the country's economic prospects.<ref name=cia/><ref name="BGN"/>

[[File:Mao Women.jpg|thumb|Women in [[Mao, Chad|Mao]], where [[Utilities in Chad|water]] is provided by a water tower. Access to clean water is often a problem in Chad.]]

Uneven inclusion in the global political economy as a site for colonial resource extraction (primarily cotton and crude oil), a global economic system that does not promote nor encourage the development of Chadian industrialisation,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=347BAAAAIAAJ|title=Poverty and neoliberalism: persistence and reproduction in the global south|year=2007|last=Bush|first=Ray|publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=9780745319605}}</ref> and the failure to support local agricultural production has meant that the majority of Chadians live in daily uncertainty and hunger.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_5HjgjpmmUC|title=Maldevelopment: Anatomy of a Global Failure|publisher=[[United Nations University Press]]|last=Amin|first=Samir|year=1990|isbn=9780862329310}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tBXF3IIcBwYC|title=Looting Africa: The Economics of Exploitation|last=Bond|first=Patrick|publisher=[[Zed Books]]|year=2006|isbn=9781842778111}}</ref> Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood.<ref name=cia/> The crops grown and the locations of herds are determined by the local climate. In the southernmost 10% of the territory lies the nation's most fertile cropland, with rich yields of [[sorghum]] and [[millet]]. In the Sahel only the hardier varieties of millet grow, and with much lower yields than in the south. On the other hand, the Sahel is ideal pastureland for large herds of commercial cattle and for goats, sheep, donkeys and horses. The Sahara's scattered [[oasis|oases]] support only some dates and legumes.<ref name="Collelo"/> Chad's cities face serious difficulties of municipal infrastructure; only 48% of urban residents have access to potable water and only 2% to basic sanitation.<ref name="EB"/><ref name=WB1/>

Before the development of oil industry, cotton dominated industry and the labour market accounted for approximately 80% of export earnings.<ref>[[#Decalo|Decalo]], p. 11</ref> Cotton remains a primary export, although exact figures are not available. Rehabilitation of [[Cotontchad]], a major cotton company weakened by a decline in world cotton prices, has been financed by France, the Netherlands, the European Union, and the [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development]] (IBRD). The [[parastatal]] is now expected to be privatised.<ref name="BGN"/> Other than cotton, [[cattle]] and [[gum arabic]] are dominant.

According to the [[United Nations]], Chad has been affected by a [[humanitarian crisis]] since at least 2001. {{As of|2008}}, the country of Chad hosts over 280,000 refugees from the [[Sudan]]'s [[Darfur]] region, over 55,000 from the [[Central African Republic]], as well as over 170,000 [[internally displaced person]]s.<ref>[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080313030132/http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/YSAR-7CGP7Z?OpenDocument ''Humanitarian Action in Chad: Facts and Figures – Snapshot Report''], UN, 6 March 2008</ref> In February 2008 in the aftermath of the [[Battle of N'Djamena (2008)|Battle of N'Djamena]], UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs [[John Holmes (British diplomat)|John Holmes]] expressed "extreme concern" that the crisis would have a negative effect on the ability of humanitarians to deliver life-saving assistance to half a million beneficiaries, most of whom – according to him – heavily rely on humanitarian aid for their survival.<ref>[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080214062840/http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SHES-7BLMXD?OpenDocument ''Eastern Chad: Concerns over vital humanitarian needs''] (press release), [[United Nations|UN]], 7 February 2008</ref> UN spokesperson [[Maurizio Giuliano]] stated to ''[[The Washington Post]]'': "If we do not manage to provide aid at sufficient levels, the humanitarian crisis might become a humanitarian catastrophe".<ref>Timberg, Craig (6 February 2008) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020500461.html ''Chadian Rebels Urge Cease-Fire As Push Falters''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014073146/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020500461.html |date=14 October 2017 }}, [[The Washington Post]]</ref> In addition, organisations such as [[Save the Children]] have suspended activities due to killings of aid workers.<ref>[http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/crisis-in-chad Crisis in Chad | Save the Children UK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422131848/http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/crisis-in-chad |date=22 April 2014 }}. Savethechildren.org.uk. Retrieved on 28 September 2013.</ref>

Chad has made some progress in reducing poverty, there was a decline in the national poverty rate from 55% to 47% between 2003 and 2011. However, the number of poor people increased from 4.7 million (2011) to 6.5 million (2019) in absolute numbers. By 2018, 4.2 out of 10 people still live below the poverty line.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=The World Bank in Chad |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/chad/overview#1 |access-date=25 May 2022 |website=The World Bank |archive-date=27 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527032342/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/chad/overview#1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Infrastructure ===

==== Transport ====
[[File:Map of Trans-African Highways.PNG|thumb]]

{{Main|Transport in Chad}}
Three trans-African automobile routes pass through Chad:
* the [[Tripoli-Cape Town Highway]] (3)
* the [[Dakar-Ndjamena Highway]] (5)
* the [[Ndjamena-Djibouti Highway]] (6)
Civil war crippled the development of [[transport in Chad|transport infrastructure]]; in 1987, Chad had only {{convert|30|km|mi}} of paved roads. Successive road rehabilitation projects improved the network<ref>"[http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1997/10/21/000009265_3971229180948/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf Chad Poverty Assessment: Constraints to Rural Development] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614080558/http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1997/10/21/000009265_3971229180948/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf |date=14 June 2007 }}" (PDF). World Bank. 21 October 1997.</ref> to {{convert|550|km|mi}} by 2004.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.deltcd.ec.europa.eu/fr/item2_info_docs/Lettre3_a4x10p.pdf Lettre d'information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024234020/http://www.deltcd.ec.europa.eu/fr/item2_info_docs/Lettre3_a4x10p.pdf |date=24 October 2007 }} (PDF). Délégation de la Commission Européenne au Tchad. N. 3. September 2004</ref> Nevertheless, the road network is limited; roads are often unusable for several months of the year. With no railways of its own, Chad depends heavily on Cameroon's rail system for the transport of Chadian exports and imports to and from the seaport of [[Douala]].<ref name=Geography>[[Anwarul Karim Chowdhury|Chowdhury, Anwarul Karim]] & Sandagdorj Erdenbileg (2006); {{cite web|url=http://unohrlls.org/UserFiles/File/Publications/LLDC/05-33151_geography_sm.pdf |title=''Geography Against Development: A Case for Landlocked Developing Countries'' |access-date=19 June 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205131921/http://www0.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ohrlls/UNOHRLLS/new/UserFiles/File/Publications/LLDC/05-33151_geography_sm.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2009 }}. New York: United Nations. {{ISBN|92-1-104540-1}}</ref>

{{As of|2013}} Chad had an estimated 59 airports, only 9 of which had paved runways.<ref name="CIA-WFB">
 {{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Chad|access-date=16 April 2017 }}
</ref> An [[N'Djamena International Airport|international airport]] serves the capital and provides regular nonstop flights to Paris and several African cities.

==== Energy ====
{{See also|Energy in Chad}}

Chad's energy sector has had years of mismanagement by the parastatal Chad Water and Electric Society (STEE), which provides power for 15% of the capital's citizens and covers only 1.5% of the national population.<ref name="CCG">Spera, Vincent (8 February 2004); {{cite web|url=http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/imr-ri.nsf/en/gr126314e.html |title=Chad Country Commercial Guide – FY 2005 |access-date=6 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015073734/http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/imr-ri.nsf/en/gr126314e.html |archive-date=15 October 2007 }}. [[United States Department of Commerce]].</ref> Most Chadians burn biomass fuels such as wood and animal manure for power.<ref name="EIA">{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Chad_Cameroon/Full.html |title=Chad and Cameroon |access-date=19 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113061630/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Chad_Cameroon/Full.html |archive-date=13 January 2009 }}. Country Analysis Briefs. January 2007. [[Energy Information Administration]].</ref>

[[ExxonMobil]] leads a consortium of [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] and [[Petronas]] that has invested $3.7&nbsp;billion to develop oil reserves estimated at one billion barrels in southern Chad. Oil production began in 2003 with the [[Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project|completion of a pipeline]] (financed in part by the [[World Bank]]) that links the southern oilfields to terminals on the Atlantic coast of Cameroon. As a condition of its assistance, the World Bank insisted that 80% of oil revenues be spent on development projects. In January 2006 the World Bank suspended its loan programme when the Chadian government passed laws reducing this amount.<ref name="BGN"/><ref name="OECD"/> On 14 July 2006, the World Bank and Chad signed a memorandum of understanding under which the Government of Chad commits 70% of its spending to priority poverty reduction programmes.<ref>World Bank (14 July 2006). ''[http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20994138~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html World Bank, Govt. of Chad Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Poverty Reduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012184831/http://web.worldbank.org/wbsite/external/news/0,,contentmdk:20994138~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html |date=12 October 2007 }}''</ref>

==== Telecommunications ====
{{See also|Telecommunications in Chad}}

The [[Communications in Chad|telecommunication system]] is basic and expensive, with fixed telephone services provided by the state telephone company [[SotelTchad]]. In 2000, there were only 14 fixed telephone lines per 10,000 inhabitants in the country, one of the lowest telephone densities in the world.<ref name="CCG"/>

[[Gateway Communications]], a pan-African wholesale connectivity and telecommunications provider also has a presence in Chad.<ref>[http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2010/04/gateway-expands-presence-in-guinea-and-senegal/ Gateway expands presence in Guinea and Senegal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195628/http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2010/04/gateway-expands-presence-in-guinea-and-senegal/ |date=29 October 2013 }}. IT News Africa. 22 April 2010.</ref> In September 2013, Chad's Ministry for Posts and Information & Communication Technologies (PNTIC) announced that the country will be seeking a partner for [[Optical fiber|fiber optic]] technology.{{update inline|date=February 2025}}

Chad is ranked last in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live | title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 | publisher=World Economic Forum | access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref> In September 2010 the mobile phone penetration rate was estimated at 24.3% over a population estimate of 10.7&nbsp;million.<ref name="Chad Mobile Market (Q1 2008 - Q3 2010)">{{cite web |url=http://www.mnodirectory.com/ame/Chad.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204221211/http://www.mnodirectory.com/ame/Chad.htm|archive-date=4 December 2011|title=Chad Mobile Market (Q1 2008 – Q3 2010) |work=mnodirectory.com}}</ref>