Chad feels the sting of government economic measures

The year 2018 started in a very bad way for many households in Chad.

The government slashed the salaries of state employees.

Diane, who works as a midwife, is no exception.

Overnight. She lost 40,000 CFA francs of purchasing power.

A cut whose consequences are felt first on the dining table.

“We can’t eat three times a day like we used to. We only eat once. In the morning we have tea. Simple tea with 4 doughnuts. It’s not like before where children used to take milk, chocolate and bread. So there’s no way it’s not easy to make ends meet,” says Diane Nell-Mall Koïdere.

By 2016, the government had already adopted austerity measures by reducing premiums and allowances by 50%.

The cutbacks last January reduced wages by a third compared to two years ago.

As a result, social movements have spread to almost all sectors of the public service.

“Everything’s stuck! Judges have been on strike for three or four days already following in the footsteps of other civil servants. And so in a country where justice is paralyzed, the health sector is paralysed, the education sector is paralyzed, but I believe there is no longer life in that country,” François Djekombe, a director of a private radio station.

Chad which is experiencing a severe economic crisis had to borrow CFA 779 billion (about $76) between 2014 and 2017 to support the payroll of its civil service. According to Finance Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul, the sector consumes 80% of its own resources.