#UBAAT70: COUNTRY FOCUS; CHAD

In September 2009 after obtaining its accreditation as a financial services institution in Chad on September 2, 2008, United Bank for Africa Chad began operations.

Chad is named after Africa’s second largest lake, and located in Central Africa, south of Libya. It is a landlocked country, bordered by Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Libya. It has a population of 15,833,116 (July 2018 est.) and an area of 495,752 square miles (1,284,000 square kilometres), most of it desert, semi-desert, or savannah.

Chad is sometimes referred to as the ‘Babel Tower of the world’ because of the number of languages spoken there. Oil and agriculture are mainstays of Chad’s economy. Oil provides about 60% of export revenues, while cotton, cattle, livestock, and gum Arabic and sesame provide the bulk of Chad’s nonoil export earnings. Although high oil prices and strong local harvests supported the economy in the past, low oil prices now stress Chad’s fiscal position and have resulted in significant government cutbacks. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most of its public and private sector investment.

The services sector contributes less than one-third of GDP and has attracted foreign investment mostly through telecommunications and banking.

Chad also has so many tourist attractions. There are a few you must see if you ever visit the country. They include;

The Fossil tree of Pala.

Found in the town of Pala South of Chad, the fossils trees are portions of tree trunks that have over the years transformed into rocks. This usually takes decades to thousands of years. Brief periods of rapid sedimentation favor their formation.

Lake Chad.

The famous Lake Chad was once the centre of Africa’s salt trade and one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. But if you want to see it, then you have to go soon because it is shrinking. The best time to visit is between August and December when the water level is at its highest. You can even see hippos and crocodiles here.

Zakouma National Park.

courtesy wildfrontiers.com

Zakouma National Park is in the south between the towns of Am Timan and Sarh. It was the first national park in Chad, and it is almost 3,000 square kilometres. You can see huge herds of elephants and giraffes in the park. You can also see lions in their natural habitat. Zakouma National Park also has 226 documented bird species for the bird watchers.

The Lakes of Ounianga.

Inscribed on the World Heritage list, the Lakes of Ounianga are a series of lakes in the Sahara Desert, in North-Eastern Chad, occupying a basin in the mountains of West Tibesti and Ennedi East. 

Chad is UBA’s second subsidiary in Central Africa, after UBA Cameroon, and joined the list of banks in Chad as the 8th and youngest bank until 2017 when another bank joined the list.

UBA climbed to the 6th position among the 8 banks in Chad within the early years of its commencement of activities and by late 2018, the Bank was already number one as the most profitable bank in terms of PBT among the country’s 9 banks – a clear demonstration of the firm resolve of the management and staff of UBA Chad who have remained committed to achieving the vision of the Bank to be the most profitable bank in Chad by the year 2020.

UBA Chad has contributed to the growth of the Chadian economy through financing infrastructure, oil and gas, and power projects which are critical levers in sustainable development. Its positioning as a pan African bank with a global presence has given UBA this edge over the other banks.

Today, UBA Chad operates with a capital of XAF10 000 000 000, about $20,000,000, compared to the initial capital of XAF2 145 000 000 ($4,290,000) it started operations with in 2009. UBA’s impact in the Chadian banking sector cannot be over emphasized with the revolution it has brought in banking services.

UBA Chad currently operates seven branches, including six in N’djamena and one in Moundou.

Originally written by CLAUDINE NGANGMI for the lion King Magazine; 70th  Commemorative Edition.