Chad
Landlocked Central African state; ARILAC participant with one of the continent's thinnest health infrastructures.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can ARILAC deliver AMR surveillance capacity in a country where health infrastructure is among Africa's most fragile?
Timeline for Chad
Mentioned in: Africa CDC and EU launch ARILAC for AMR
Pandemics and Biosecurity- Why was Chad selected for the ARILAC AMR programme?
- Chad is one of eight AU member states selected for ARILAC, launched 6 May 2026, to build antimicrobial resistance laboratory infrastructure. Its selection reflects the programme's aim to reach countries with the greatest diagnostic gaps.Source: Africa CDC
- What disease burden does Chad face?
- Chad faces endemic cholera, meningitis, and malaria alongside one of Africa's largest refugee influxes following Sudan's 2023 civil war, which together impose heavy antibiotic treatment pressure with almost no AMR monitoring in place.
Background
Chad is a landlocked country in north-central Africa, bordered by Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. Its population of roughly 18 million (2024 estimate) is spread across a vast territory, the fifth largest in Africa, ranging from the Sahara in the north to Sahelian savannah and the Lake Chad basin in the south. N'Djamena is the capital. Chad is one of the world's poorest countries by GDP per Capita, and its political trajectory has been turbulent: President Idriss Déby was killed in April 2021 during fighting with rebels; his son Mahamat Idriss Déby took power, and a transitional period followed. The country hosts one of the largest refugee populations on the continent, including arrivals from Sudan following the 2023 civil war, placing acute additional pressure on its public health systems.
Chad is one of eight African Union member states selected for ARILAC (Advancing Regional Integrated Laboratory Capacity for AMR Control), launched in Addis Ababa on 6 May 2026 . The four-year programme, led by Africa CDC, ASLM, and the European Union, aims to build antimicrobial resistance diagnostic capacity on a One Health basis. Chad's inclusion is significant precisely because its health infrastructure is among the most limited of the eight participants. Across comparable settings, endemic meningitis, cholera, and malaria impose substantial treatment-antibiotic pressure that cannot be tracked without functioning AMR laboratories.
