By Abdelkerim Moussa Brahim
N’DJAMENA, CHAD — In the heart of N’Djamena’s Chagoua neighborhood, the buzz of motorbikes blends with the click of keyboards. A team of young Chadian developers, seated in a modest co-working space built from reclaimed wood and corrugated iron, are launching an app designed to help farmers track rainfall patterns. Their goal is simple but ambitious: build a more connected, efficient Chad—one byte at a time.
Once perceived as lagging behind in digital innovation, Chad is quietly experiencing a technological awakening. From mobile payment systems in rural markets to e-learning platforms in desert towns, homegrown tech startups are transforming everyday life for millions—and doing so with ingenuity rooted in local needs.
“We’re not copying Silicon Valley,” says Amina Djimet, co-founder of SahelTech, a fintech platform based in N’Djamena. “We’re solving Chadian problems, in Chadian ways.”
Leapfrogging with Mobile Innovation
Though only around 19% of the population has access to the internet (World Bank – Chad Digital Development), mobile phone penetration has soared to over 60%, providing the foundation for a digital leap.
Services like ChadPay and Yalde, both launched in the past three years, are enabling cashless transactions even in remote areas. In the town of Ati, traders at the local cattle market now use SMS-based payments, avoiding the risks of carrying large sums in cash.
“Before, we had to travel to the city just to pay bills or send money,” says Halime Mahamat, a market vendor in Mongo. “Now we use our phones—it’s faster, safer, and saves time.”
Rural Tech with Urban Vision
Chad’s tech boom isn’t confined to urban centers. In the Salamat region, AgriChad, a startup incubated by the African Development Bank’s Youth Agritech Lab, provides solar-powered tablets preloaded with crop and veterinary guides in Arabic, French, and local dialects (AfDB – Youth Agritech Innovation Lab).
A similar project, M-Farmer Tchad, in partnership with TechnoServe, has trained over 3,000 farmers to use USSD codes to check weather forecasts, market prices, and fertilizer availability (TechnoServe Chad).
“Digital tools are now as important as hoes and seeds,” says Gali Ngarmbatina, an agricultural extension officer in Am Timan. “They’re the new tools of survival.”
Youth at the Helm
The driving force behind this shift is Chad’s youth. With 70% of the population under 25, young innovators are reshaping the tech landscape despite limited infrastructure.
Initiatives like Waktech Incubator and Chad InnovHub, supported by UNDP Chad, are providing seed funding, mentorship, and access to tools like 3D printers and design software (UNDP – Chad Innovation for Development). Startups are emerging in edtech, health tech, and logistics.
Take ÉcoleNumérique Tchad, a platform that allows students in rural areas to access secondary school content via solar-powered projectors and preloaded flash drives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform became a lifeline for thousands of students.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Challenges remain: low electricity access, high data costs, and limited fiber infrastructure continue to impede expansion. But the government, in partnership with international donors, has launched the Digital Chad 2030 plan—a comprehensive strategy to expand internet coverage, digitize public services, and support tech startups (Chad Digital 2030 – Ministry of Digital Economy).
Telecom companies like Airtel Chad and Sotel Tchad have begun investing in 4G infrastructure, while satellite-based internet providers are experimenting with rural coverage pilots.
“It’s not just about access to Facebook,” says Ibrahim Ahmat, an IT lecturer at the University of N’Djamena. “It’s about digital literacy, e-governance, and future jobs.”
A Digital Future Rooted in Resilience
What sets Chad’s digital transformation apart is its grounded, bottom-up character. Here, innovation is not flashy or imported—it’s adaptive, frugal, and deeply contextual.
“Chad is often seen through the lens of hardship,” says Amina Djimet. “But we are also a nation of builders. Our code might run on solar and SMS, but it’s building a better future.”
From dusty markets to university labs, a quiet revolution is underway. It’s digital. It’s local. And it’s lighting up lives across the Sahel.
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