Minamata Initial Assessments in the Republic of Chad

Chad ratified the Minamata Convention September 25, 2015, one year after becoming a signatory to the treaty. Through our Center for Mercury Studies, BRI (an Executing Agency with UNIDO) will work with the Chad Ministry of the Environment and Fisheries to conduct a Minamata Initial Assessment over the next two years. These activities will complement Chad’s efforts to significantly reduce the exposure of mercury to humans and the environment.

Formal Capacity: Executing Agency

Project Lead: David Evers

Minamata Focal Point: Abdallah Younous Adoum

Collaborating Ministry: Ministry of the Environment and Fisheries

Funding/Implementing Agency: GEF/UNIDO

The Sate of Mercury in Chad

The Minamata Convention on Mercury opened for signature in October 2013 and entered into force in August 2017. To assist with preparations for the ratification and implementation of the Convention, the government of Chad conducted a Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA) to quantitatively and comparatively determine the extent of local mercury pollution. Some findings from the MIA and recommendations from the Chad mercury team can be found in this brochure.

Click to download the full brochure in English or French.

Country Profile

  • Population: 11,631,456 (July 2015 est.)
  • Surface Area: 1,284,000 square kilometers
  • Capital City: N’Djamena
  • Official Language: French and Arabic
  • Fish Production: 60,000 metric tons (2011)
  • UN Membership Date: September 20, 1960

The Republic of Chad is a land-locked country in central Africa. Roughly 85 percent the size of Alaska, it borders Niger, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Lake Chad lies on the country’s western border, shared with Niger and Nigeria.

Absorbed into French Equatorial Africa in 1913, Chad became an autonomous republic within the French Community in 1946, and has been independent since 1960. Oil and agriculture are mainstays of Chad’s economy.

Inception Meeting and Mercury Inventory Training Workshop

Photo: Participants of the Minamata Initial Assessment Inception Meeting, held May 5, 2016 in N’Djamena, Chad.