Chad is continuing work on a national cinema code, with a government and film-sector delegation visiting Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 30 September 2026 to study the country’s film legislation, financing systems, infrastructure and professional organization.
The delegation was led by Babalé Abdoulaye, secretary-general of Chad’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Handicrafts, and included Chadian filmmaker Issa Serge Coelo, legal expert Marcellin Abdelkrim and UNESCO representatives. Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Culture and Francophonie said discussions also covered copyright, film heritage, professional training and African platforms for distributing content.
The visit comes less than two years after Chad was country guest of honor at the 29th FESPACO, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, held in Burkina Faso from 22 February to 1 March 2025. Chad sent a large official and cultural delegation to the festival, and President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno joined Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré at the opening ceremony on 22 February 2025. Two Chadian films, “Diya” by Achille Ronaimou and “Madjbara” by Salma Khalil, were selected for the official competition.
Work on the cinema code was already underway by then. UNESCO says it began supporting Chad in 2024 on the development of a national film code intended to improve access to financing and training and provide a more formal structure for a sector that operates largely informally.
Chad’s Ministry of Tourism Development, Culture and Handicrafts held its first national consultation on the proposed code in N’Djamena from 22 to 25 April 2025, with technical assistance from UNESCO and the European Union. More than 30 cultural-sector participants took part. UNESCO said subsequent work would include further technical assistance and peer-learning sessions to finalize the code and support its adoption and implementation.
The 30 September 2026 visit to Côte d’Ivoire places that work within a longer period of increased state engagement with Chad’s screen sector, extending from its prominent presence at FESPACO 2025 to the development of legislation, financing structures and institutions at home. Côte d’Ivoire’s ministry described the proposed legislation on 4 October 2026 as Chad’s “future cinema code,” confirming that the process was still underway.