Addis Ababa, 23 March 2025 (ECA) - With an estimated livestock population of over 129 million, did you know that Chad boasts one of the largest livestock in Africa and the world? As Central Africa’s leading livestock exporter, it has been supplying crowded markets for decades, particularly in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Congo. Yet paradoxically, Chad primarily exports live cattle, allowing other countries to capture most of the added value and jobs generated by meat processing. While member states of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) import more than USD 350 million worth of processed meat and offal annually, the total value of regional livestock trade barely reaches USD 50 million.
A public-private partnership set to industrialise the meat sector in Chad
For decades, livestock farming in Chad has been dominated by traditional pastoral practices, effective in managing pastures but vulnerable to climatic and economic challenges. This model has left herders facing numerous difficulties, including precarious living conditions, regional insecurity, and limited access to processing facilities and logistical networks. Yet, despite these constraints, Chad holds a significant advantage: its strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes linking North, Central, and West Africa. Moreover, instability in neighbouring Sahelian countries, such as Sudan and Niger, has further increased the demand for meat supplies from Chad.
In response to these challenges, Chad has embarked on a deep transformation journey since 2022 with the support of ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), which designs, finances, conceives and operates industrial ecosystems across Africa. This public-private partnership led to the creation of Laham Tchad, a joint venture between the government of Chad and ARISE IIP. The objective of Laham Tchad is ambitious: to position Chad as a leading exporter of processed meat in Africa. To achieve this, a large-scale investment plan worth USD 790 million has been developed, directly contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as the eradication of poverty (SDG 1), the promotion of decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and innovative and sustainable industrialization (SDG 9).
In Moundou, Chad’s second-largest city, the Logone Abattoir Industrial Complex symbolises the shift towards a structured and competitive meat industry. This state-of-the-art facility, employing 280 people, has the capacity to process 200 cattle and 400 small ruminants per day, ensuring high sanitary standards and strict cold chain management. However, the ambitions with Laham Tchad go far beyond this. Six additional Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are being developed in Dermaya, Dourbali, Sarh, Amdjarass, Abéché, and Ati, creating a robust industrial network around the meat sector. By 2035, the project aims to generate nearly USD 2 billion in revenue and create at least 35,000 local jobs.
An industry geared towards intra-African trade
Beyond infrastructure, this transformation is also driving an upgrade in production quality. Under the “Viand’Or” brand, Laham Tchad has been developing premium-quality meat for several years, produced according to international standards and sourced from extensive, environmentally friendly livestock farming. This label positions itself as a credible alternative to meat imported from Brazil or India, offering African consumers an organic, affordable and traceable product that also meets global health and safety standards.
The market opportunities are already in place. Nigeria, the largest buyer of Chadian livestock, represents a strategic target for processed meat exports, provided import restrictions are lifted. Egypt, facing a supply shortage since the war in Sudan, has already turned to Chad to secure its meat supply by air. Gabon and Congo receive shipments via refrigerated trucks, while Gulf countries, particularly Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have expressed interest in Chadian camel meat. This expansion into new markets marks Chad’s entry into a new commercial era, where processed meat is gradually replacing live cattle as the country’s flagship export product.
This industrialisation journey extends beyond meat production alone. It drives an entire local economy, spanning from the upstream agricultural sector for animal feed to the downstream supply of various nearby businesses, while fostering the development of leather industries, animal by-products, and logistics services, particularly to ensure compliance with the cold chain.
It also strengthens the resilience of livestock farmers by providing them with more profitable market opportunities and better protection against market volatility.
A catalyst for intra-African trade
Through this transformation, Chad is breaking free from the Dutch disease, the economic trap that compels many African countries to export low-value raw materials only to import processed products at a high cost. The approach driven by ARISE IIP, already successfully implemented in over a dozen African countries, provides a viable and sustainable alternative based on raw material processing to generate added value and jobs locally, fostering intra-African trade through African Continental Free Trade Area.
Livestock farming, long seen as a traditional and under-industrialised sector, is now becoming the driving force behind a deep economic transformation. Through strategic investments and a bold vision, Chad is embarking on a growth trajectory that no longer relies solely on its natural resources but on a modern and competitive industry. It is precisely this kind of initiative, supported by the expertise of a pan-African player as ARISE IIP, governments, and stakeholders that will enable African countries to break free from the Dutch disease.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org