National Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.

The National Poverty Reduction Strategy (Strategy) is the concrete manifestation of Chad’s commitment with respect its eligibility under the Enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative, established by the Bretton Woods Institutions. The Strategy is national multi-sectoral strategy which will seek to promote good governance, ensure strong and sustainable growth, develop human capital, improve living conditions of vulnerable groups, restore and safeguard ecosystems, ensure the monitoring and periodic evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy, and disseminate monitoring and evaluation results. The strategy was adopted in 2004 and will be implemented through 2006.
The Strategy will seek to introduce an adequate health system, in particular it will provide access to high quality health services, improve health sector indicators, improve utilization of resources allocated to health sector, and fight against malnutrition – by continuing and extending programs to provide micronutrients supplements, promote breast-feeding, and promote healthy foods.
The Strategy will increase investment in agricultural and pastoral water supply improvements; extend access to high quality agricultural materials and inputs; extend access to high quality support services for farmers and livestock breeders; extend credit and appropriate financial services; diversify agricultural production; improve functioning of distribution channels and markets for major products; develop emerging sub-sectors; and protect plant health. In addition, the Strategy will strengthen the regulatory framework and management capacities for natural resources.
The Strategy will improve the conditions of vulnerable groups, including addressing rural poverty. It will support microenterprise, SMEs, and employment, and enhance social protection.
The plan will seek the establishment of a basic grid of roads for domestic and external access to isolated areas that are usable in all seasons; provide support for the development of local transport modalities by implementing a rural transportation strategy; improve access to water in rural areas by building or rehabilitating tube wells and large diameter wells.
The Strategy will seek to guarantee government assistance in the event of a major disaster, and to do so by rethinking the assignment of tasks among the different government departments; budgetary procedures for allocating emergency funds in the event of a disaster; the criteria governing eligibility for government aid and their enforcement; and the ways in which social assistance is provided.