Chad hosted a national workshop in N’Djaména from 6–7 November 2024 to review and validate its strategy for promoting green value chains in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Organized by UNCTAD in collaboration with Chad’s Ministry of Finance and Economy, the event brought together over 40 national stakeholders, including government representatives, private sector leaders, technical experts, and researchers.

The workshop sought to gather technical input for finalizing Chad's national green value chain strategy, which aims to bolster intra-African trade, enhance climate resilience, and advance sustainable production practices. The strategy focuses on three key value chains—cotton, sesame, and gum arabic—selected for their significant economic potential and the opportunity they present to integrate Chad into regional and continental trade markets.

Key Challenges and Opportunities identified by national stakeholders with regard to selected priority value chains included:

• Cotton: Low productivity due to poor inputs, market access issues, and rural workforce shortages. Opportunities include leveraging existing producer organizations and boosting local transformation capacity.
• Sesame: Challenges included the lack of modern equipment and weak producer organization, while opportunities lay in growing export demand and fertile agricultural land.
• Gum Arabic: Recommendations included inventorying gummier species, addressing infrastructure deficits, and improving producer organization. Opportunities included climate suitability, the existence of natural gum resources, and support from international partners.

The project for the inclusion of green initiatives into national AfCFTA implementation strategies is a joint initiative led by UNCTAD and UNECA, implemented in twenty countries from all five African sub-regions. Its aim is to assist beneficiary countries in the development of green value chain strategies to promote intra-African trade and climate resilience in the context of the AfCFTA.