Africa is becoming an increasingly popular destination, attracting millions of travellers from around the world. The continent’s 54 countries all have their own unique experiences to offer the visitor.
Last year Morocco became the most visited African country, welcoming 17.4 million tourists, just a year after a deadly earthquake in Marrakesh. It knocked Egypt off its perch, which until then had long led the continent in visitor numbers. One country that has much to offer but still does not attract that many tourists is Chad.
The country is completely landlocked in Central Africa and is the fifth largest on the continent, with an area of 496,000 square miles.
It is home to more than 200 ethnic groups who speak over 100 languages – a fact that has earned Chad the moniker of the “Babel Tower of the World”.
However, the country faces multiple humanitarian crises, including political uncertainty, food insecurity and climate instability.
As a result, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of Chad and urges Brits not to travel at all to other areas of the nation.
Chad’s government, though, is embarking on a major transport infrastructure project in a bid to boost its economy and improve the lives of its citizens.
It is seeking to build a 127-mile road connecting Mayo-Singako-Am Timan at a cost of £216million.
Chad is a long distance from the sea, and the new road will help to reduce the very high transport costs along the major regional corridors.
It will help open up the country, provide better links to domestic and regional markets and strengthen the process of economic integration.
Construction of the road is expected to be completed in 2029, with work on a section of the route already underway.
A 31-mile stretch of road between Kyabé-Mayo is being asphalted, and engineers are also building a 55-metre bridge on the route.
Better transport links will also allow tourists to access more areas of the country and make it easier to visit some of its stunning highlights.
These include Lake Chad, the Tibesti mountains and the Ennedi Region – a harsh landscape home to some of the most remarkable and unusual rock formations in the world.