Ndjamena, Chad (NDJ)

Ndjamena (NDJ) is the capital of Chad, the largest landlocked country in Africa and a former French colony that gained independence in 1960. Chad’s desert north shares borders with Libya, Sudan and Niger, while its grassy lowlands border with Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

Chad became an oil-producing nation in 2003, and the majority of its oil exports are transported out of the country by a pipeline that leads to the Cameroonian city of Kribi on the Atlantic coast. International companies, represented by the Esso Exploration & Production Chad Inc (EEPCI), the China National Petroleum Corporation International (CNPCI) and the Glencore consortiums, have been key actors in the exploration, production and refining of oil, alongside the Hydrocarbons Company of Chad (Société des Hydrocarbures du Tchad, SHT). In November 2019, Exxonmobil (the lead in the EEPCI consortium) announced plans to dispose of its holdings in Chad as part of a larger programme of divestments.

Petroleum is Chad’s primary source of public revenue, and recent low oil prices stressed Chad’s fiscal position. In 2018, the government implemented an emergency action plan (the National Development Plan) to try to counterbalance the drop in oil revenue and to diversify the economy. It also restructured some of its oil-backed loans with international banks and implemented significant government cutbacks to meet the terms of IMF funding. However, in a country where around 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, the cutbacks precipitated strikes and protests.

It is unfortunate that Chad’s oil wealth has not benefited a large portion of its population. Chad is ranked 186 out of 189 countries in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2018 Human Development Index.

From July to October 2019, the rainy season has been heavy and caused flooding in the southern and eastern provinces. According to Red Cross estimates in November 2019, over 175,000 people have been affected, and exposed to heightened risks of cholera, malaria, waterborne diseases and malnutrition. Around Lake Chad, the interaction of four main factors: displacement, food shortages, disease and armed attacks from groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS- have drawn Chad and its neighbours (Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria) into what has been called the ‘world’s most neglected crisis’.

It is estimated that around 17 million people live in areas affected by violence resulting from the conflict between non-state armed groups and military forces in the Lake Chad region, and the crisis has resulted in over 10 million people heavily dependent on aid for survival. Humanitarian agencies such as Oxfam,
the Norwegian Refugee Council and the International Red Cross are on the ground and providing assistance.

Coyne Airways offers service from DWC to Ndjamena every Thursday and we can provide promotional rates in support of relief efforts on this flight. We can also offer uplift to other countries around Lake Chad. Please contact your local Coyne representative with any enquiries and bookings, or contact us directly on africa@coyneair.com