In a circular letter related to the preparation of the 2027 budget bill, signed on July 31, 2026 by President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the Chadian government plans to ban live cattle exports starting from January 1, 2028, in favor of processed meat exports.
This government decision has financial implications beyond its anecdotal nature. Indeed, at the provincial level, authorities estimated that the loss related to the export of live animals to neighboring countries amounted to over 400 billion CFA francs (nearly 692 million USD) per year, due to insufficient local processing. However, according to data from the Central African States Bank (BEAC), the same trade of live cattle brought in 220 billion CFA francs (around 380 million USD) in 2024, compared to 136.4 billion (around 236 million USD) in 2020. This 61% increase over four years makes livestock the country’s second largest source of foreign exchange after oil, far ahead of other non-oil exports.
To meet this schedule, Ndjamena is counting on the completion of construction of slaughterhouses, the development of cold chains, and logistical platforms. The Logone Industrial Slaughterhouses Complex (CIAL), inaugurated in Moundou and operated by Laham Tchad, illustrates this ambition. This facility already processes 200 cattle and 400 small ruminants per day, and six additional special economic zones are being developed in Dermaya, Dourbali, Sarh, Amdjarass, Abéché, and Ati for an industrial network around the meat sector. The stated goal by 2035 is to generate nearly 1,156.7 billion CFA francs (approximately 2 billion USD) in revenue and create at least 35,000 local jobs.
This shift is part of the national plan “Chad Connection 2030”, which includes 400 billion CFA francs in investments to modernize the livestock-meat sector, one of the 17 programs in the broader plan presented to investors at a roundtable in Abu Dhabi in November 2025. It also follows the increase, since January 2025, of 33.3% in taxes on livestock sales.
However, the gamble comes with risks. Nigeria, Cameroon, and Congo, the main current markets for Chadian live cattle, will themselves need to adjust their supply chains. Cameroon alone imported nearly 50,000 Chadian cattle in 2023, according to its Ministry of Livestock. Chad’s ability to process its production faster than its neighbors adjust their buying habits will determine whether this ban results in an increase in value or a loss of markets for Chadian breeders.
