Country Information - Chad

ECONOMIC BACKGROUND Chad's economic development has been characterized by brief periods of growth interrupted by steep declines. In 1995 the government adopted a three-year economic reform program, which had satisfactory results. All sectors of activity, but particularly agriculture, recorded strong growth in 1997. Agriculture generates approximately 40 percent of GDP in the form of subsistence farming, husbandry and fishing. Cotton is the country's major cash crop, accounting for at least half of exports. Recently, crude oil deposits were discovered in Southern Chad. Exploitation of this resource could lead to an increase in government revenue and improve its ability to address priority needs. Drilling agreements have been reached with a consortium of oil companies and the construction of the 665 - mile Chad-Cameroon pipeline to carry crude oil from landlocked Chad, through neighboring Cameroon, to the Atlantic coast is one of the biggest projects in African history. World Bank and private sector funding for this project is estimated at over US$3 billion. (Source: World Bank Group, 2002) Click here for Country Map [23kB]

BI-LATERAL TRADE OVERVIEW Whereas little bi-lateral trade existed between Chad and the United States in earlier years, this situation changed sharply in 2001. Chad currently imports approximately $ 127 million worth of goods from the U.S., while recording negligible exports to that country. This has resulted in a trade deficit of approximately $ 121 million in 2002. Of the exports to the U.S., none currently fall into the product categories covered by AGOA. Exports to the U.S. currently consist almost entirely of agricultural output ($ 5,2 million in 2002). Detailed bilateral trade data for this country, disaggregated by industry sector, can be accessed by following the link below. Aggregate data featuring all AGOA-eligible countries is updated on this website as soon as new data is published, including ranked AGOA / non-AGOA trade, aggregate trade by industry sector as well as the latest apparel trade data. Click here for Detailed Trade Profile