Chad has secured a EUR 110 million, approximately $127 million, financing facility from Afreximbank to fund trade infrastructure and economic diversification. Signed on August 5, 2026, in Cairo, the local-currency loan marks the multilateral lender’s largest-ever financial support package for the landlocked nation.
The African Export-Import Bank finalized its funding agreement with the Chadian government to bolster national trade systems and reduce reliance on oil revenues. The formal signing took place at the bank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, bringing together senior officials to lock in resources approved under the country’s 2026 Finance Law.
Cairo Signing Formalizes Financial Facility
The agreement was signed on August 5, 2026, at the Afreximbank Headquarters. Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, joined Honourable Tahir Hamid Nguilin, Senior Minister, Minister of Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning and International Cooperation of Chad, to execute the transaction.
Denominated entirely in local currency, the transaction represents the largest financing Afreximbank has ever provided to the Chadian government. While financial conditions and the exact repayment duration were not disclosed in initial public statements, the capital aims to address critical commercial bottlenecks.
“The signing of this EUR 110 million financing agreement with Afreximbank marks a major milestone in strengthening the partnership between Chad and the Bank. This financing demonstrates Afreximbank’s renewed confidence in our country’s economic prospects and its ability to harness its potential.”
Honourable Tahir Hamid Nguilin, Senior Minister, Minister of Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning and International Cooperation of Chad, via Africa24 TV
Diversifying Beyond Oil and Upgrading Trade Routes
For a landlocked economy historically dependent on crude oil, the financing targets specific structural vulnerabilities. The proceeds will flow directly into trade-enabling projects included in the national budget, spanning agriculture, livestock development, export-oriented farming, gold trading, and refined petroleum products.
This operational push builds directly upon a memorandum of understanding signed between Chad and Afreximbank in June 2025. Leadership from both institutions intend to channel resources into special industrial zones dedicated to textile manufacturing and meat processing, alongside transport corridors designed to connect Chad directly to Egypt and Libya.
“Afreximbank is pleased to be a critical actor in Chad’s economic transformation journey and commends the government for the bold agenda to structurally transform the national economy. The credit facility is part of a financing programme aimed at supporting the government to deliver on priority projects…”
Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, via Africa24 TV
Broader Economic Strategy and Regional Integration
The Afreximbank loan plugs into a wider national framework known as the Chad Connection 2030 development plan, which seeks to mobilize as much as $30 billion for digital technology, infrastructure, and industrialization. Government benchmarks under the plan target 10 percent real economic growth and aim to help 2.5 million people escape poverty by the end of the decade.
Regional trade numbers underscore the urgency of these investments. According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics, Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED), Chad’s intra-African trade reached CFA312.5 billion, or approximately $550 million, in 2025, with Cameroon, Nigeria, and Libya acting as primary continental partners.
Complementary policy shifts aim to accelerate this regional integration. President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno announced that the government plans to remove visa requirements for all African nationals beginning in 2027. Meanwhile, international institutions have adjusted their outlooks; the World Bank upgraded Chad’s 2026 economic growth forecast to 5.2 percent as structural reforms and diversification efforts take root.