Overview

Chadian culture emphasizes personal contact to build mutual trust and develop personal relationships before doing business. U.S. companies should make efforts to visit Chadian clients in person, understand traditions, and learn the commercial environment. English is not widely spoken in Chad.  Companies should prepare all sales material in French and/or Arabic. Even if using an interpreter to conduct business, it is helpful to learn simple pleasantries in French or Chadian Arabic. Internet connectivity is rising in Chad, but telephone and face-to-face contacts are more effective communications than e-mail.

Trade Promotion and Advertising

Advertisements are placed in newspapers, on billboards, through radio stations, and increasingly online, including on social media. Social media sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp are popular in Chad, and the vast majority of Chadians (well over 90 percent) access social media through mobile phones.

Pricing

An 18 percent VAT applies to sales of all goods and services. While many Chadians are used to price negotiations common in large open markets, the concept of fixed prices has taken hold at large stores and for expensive equipment and appliances.

Sales Service/Customer Support

Sales service and customer support should be offered in at least French, though preferably also in Chadian Arabic.

Principal Business Associations

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, Mines and Crafts (CCIAMA, Chambre de Commerce, d’Industrie, d’Agriculture, des Mines et d’Artisanat du Tchad) is dedicated to facilitating and improving administrative procedures for business creation, improving the security environment, monitoring market prices, and facilitating tax collection, with the eventual goal of transitioning the informal economy to the formal economy.

The National Agency for Investment and Exports (ANIE) faciliates trade and investment and hosts a “one-stop-shop” for registering international and national businesses.

The Chadian National Council of Business Owners (CNPT, Conseil National du Patronat Tchadien) serves as an interface between relevant government authorities and employers and business owners. It participates in collective bargaining with representatives of workers’ organizations, designates Employer representatives in the organizations in which employers’ representation is desired, and conducts studies on general economic and social issues in Chad.

The Chadian American Economic Chamber (CAEC, known in French as Chambre Economique Tchado Americaine or CETA) is an organization dedicated to developing trade ties between Chad and the United States, with representatives in Chad, the United States, and Canada.

For further information, please  contact the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena at Ndjamena-Commercial@state.gov.