It’s affordable, and central to stopping deforestation in Chad, but butane gas has a long way to go before it becomes a household staple in this Sahelian country: many Chadians have a fixed belief that gas is simply too dangerous to use. According to World Bank figures, only 4% of Chadian households use gas at present.
Leaving the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, isn’t what it used to be. ”Thirty years ago, you’d still often come across herds of elephant crossing the highway at the southern exit of Ndjamena,” recalls Hassan Nago, a retired Agriculture Ministry official who lives in the village of Malo-Gaga, about 14km south-west of the capital.