GCA supporting the development of Climate-Resilient Road Project in Chad
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otterdam, Netherlands, 18 February 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today announced the approval of a transformative investment to strengthen road connectivity in Chad, bolstering food security, and enhancing communities’ resilience to climate change along the Southern Niger and Chad corridor. Supported through the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP)—a joint initiative by GCA and the African Development Bank (AfDB) —GCA is providing its technical assistance to support the integration of communities-centered adaptation measures for the roads design and operations, within the Governments and World Bank’s efforts on rehabilitating approximately 1,435 kilometers of the Trans-Saharan Road (TSR) corridor, from Niamey in Niger to N’Djamena in Chad, through the World Bank projects to enhance Southern Niger and Chad Connectivity. The upgraded corridor will directly benefit more than 20 million people, many of whom depend on this route for daily commerce, transport, and critical access to food supplies.
With an approved investment from the World Bank of USD$170 million in Chad, the project is aligned with the country’s development goals, improving regional connectivity, rural activities, and the mobility of people and goods in the fragile region of Lake Chad. The World Bank overall initiative in Southern Niger and Chad will overall include rehabilitating major trunk roads—such as the key National Road RN1 in Niger, spanning 1,300 kilometers—and extending coverage to crucial secondary routes in both countries. By ensuring safe and reliable passage along the corridor, the project is expected to reduce travel time, strengthen links between remote agricultural areas and urban centers and facilitate broader cross-border collaboration.
GCA’s role builds on a series of comprehensive Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments that highlight the region’s exposure to increasingly severe environmental hazards, including floods, extreme heat, and sandstorms along the corridor in Niger and in Chad. Without adaptation, annual damages to road infrastructure and interrupted transport services could surge from an estimated USD$85 million today to USD$235 million by 2050. GCA’s technical assistance will help climate-proof the World Bank investment, integrating measures such as robust drainage systems, improved pavement structures, and nature-based solutions like planting resilient indigenous trees in flood-prone and erosion-prone areas. Importantly, GCA has also quantified how improved road resilience will stabilize supply chains in communities along the corridor, potentially easing food insecurity for over 245,000 people who rely on stable market access and affordable transportation.
“This initiative is about more than just building better roads. It’s about safeguarding communities from the growing impacts of climate change, ensuring food security for some of the most vulnerable populations, and unlocking economic opportunities that will transform lives. Adaptation is not a luxury; it is an investment in prosperity and security for communities across the Sahel,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation.
Through its AAAP Masterclass on Climate Resilient Infrastructure, GCA will also equipping governmental ministries, engineers, and local stakeholders in Niger and Chad with the knowledge and skills necessary to plan, build, and maintain climate-resilient transport networks. This training is designed to foster long-term capacity for infrastructure adaptation, ensuring that once the road enhancements are completed, local institutions can continue applying best practices in design, operations, and maintenance.
