The Challenge

Chad, a low-income country in Central Africa, faces persistent challenges in ensuring timely access to essential supplies, particularly for communities affected by poverty, regional insecurity, disease outbreaks and gaps in healthcare infrastructure. 

UNICEF is working with the Government of Chad to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve access to essential services for children and vulnerable communities across the country. 

Addressing these challenges requires fast, reliable access to critical medical goods such as vaccines, syringes, diagnostics, and therapeutic supplies. However, in Chad, the import process for humanitarian and health-related products remains lengthy and complex, involving paper-based procedures, and administrative bottlenecks that can significantly delay the clearance of essential goods. 

What We Are Doing 

The Alliance project in Chad is part of the ADEPT programme, an Alliance–UNICEF partnership to reduce the time and cost of importing humanitarian aid, ensuring timely and equitable access for those who need it most. 

It aims to: 

  • Reduce delays in clearing health products for humanitarian use through process improvement and digitalisation.  
  • Improve data-sharing among government actors by connecting relevant regulatory agencies and strengthening coordination mechanisms.  
  • Build sustainability by establishing a working group of government bodies, humanitarian organisations and the private sector.  

Process simplification will involve working with Customs authorities and regulatory agencies to streamline current procedures, including replacing physical documents with electronic equivalents and improving inter-agency coordination. 

The Alliance will also provide training on new digital processes, along with basic IT equipment and internet connectivity where needed. 

The Impacts

Reducing border friction will accelerate humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations across Chad. Successful implementation will improve the delivery of medical products for humanitarian purposes by: 

  • Reducing processing times for health product import documentation.  
  • Improving traceability and reducing instances of misplaced documentation.  
  • Increasing visibility and cooperation among ministries, agencies, and Customs.  
  • Lowering storage costs and reducing delays in the delivery of essential medical supplies.  
  • Supporting Chad’s broader trade facilitation goals through more efficient import procedures.