In Chad, the CIMA takaful regulation adopted in 2019 applies in full, but no takaful company or window has been recorded there, so policyholders need to check licences and choose their conventional contracts prudently until sharia-compliant cover appears.
Chad within the Yaoundé Treaty
The Treaty establishing CIMA was signed in Yaoundé on 10 July 1992 and brings together fourteen states, including Chad and Cameroon. It entrusts supervision to common bodies, which explains why N'Djamena has no takaful law of its own.
Council of Ministers, CRCA and General Secretariat
CIMA operates through a Council of Insurance Ministers, which adopts regulations, a Regional Insurance Control Commission, responsible for supranational supervision, and a General Secretariat. All Chadian insurance companies fall within this shared architecture.
A national directorate that is hard to reach
No official website for Chad's insurance directorate was found, and its organisation could not be verified. For any licensing question, the safest course is to go through the ministry in charge of finance or the CIMA General Secretariat.
N'Djamena hosts the Committee of Experts in 2025
From 8 to 19 September 2025, the Chadian capital hosted the sessions of the CIMA Committee of Experts, according to Tchadinfos. The meeting confirms the country's place in the regional governance that produced the 2019 takaful regulation.
What Regulation No. 003 of 2019 provides
Adopted on 10 October 2019, Regulation No. 003/CIMA/PCMA/PCE/2019 governs takaful operations in every member state, Chad included. It sets supervisory, accounting and tax rules specific to these operations, distinct from those for conventional insurance.
Participants as both insurers and insured
Article 900 adopts a mutualist definition: members guarantee one another and are at once insurers and insured. The scheme rests on the tabarru donation and on a segregated fund that the operator manages on behalf of Chadian participants.
Two branches for the Chadian market
The text distinguishes general takaful, which covers vehicles, property and liabilities, from family takaful, devoted to cover for persons such as death or disability. A Chadian project would need to state from the outset which of these branches it intends to operate.
Dedicated licence or extension for a local insurer
Under Article 903, the business requires either a takaful-only licence or a licence extension granted to an existing company. No Chadian insurer has been identified as having applied for or obtained such an extension in the sources consulted.
CORIS Assurances Vie Burkina, a textbook case
Announced on 7 February 2025, the favourable opinion issued by the CRCA at its 116th session to CORIS Assurances Vie in Burkina Faso is the first documented application of the regulation. It offers a concrete reference for a future Chadian application.
No verified market figures for Chad
No reliable data on premiums collected, the number of companies or demand for Islamic insurance in Chad could be verified. Any feasibility study will therefore have to start from official statistics obtained from CIMA or from the insurers themselves.
What to buy in N'Djamena in the meantime
Motor third-party liability, compulsory in the CIMA zone, must be bought from an insurer licensed in Chad. For pilgrims, Hajj insurance or travel assistance limited to actual costs remains preferable to a contract mixing savings and interest.
Niger, Cameroon, Sudan: contrasting regimes
Niger and Cameroon apply the same CIMA regulation as Chad, whereas neighbouring Sudan, outside the Conference, has required sharia compliance across its whole sector since 1993. A border resident must check which law governs the contract.
What to do as a policyholder in Chad
- Confirm with the finance ministry or CIMA that a company holds a takaful licence valid in Chad.
- Ask for the number and date of the CRCA opinion authorising takaful, along the lines of the one CORIS obtained.
- Examine the wakala or mudaraba structure, the make-up of the sharia committee and the fatwa given to participants.
- Compare the contribution, management fees and surplus sharing with an equivalent conventional Chadian policy.
- List the exclusions, particularly those relating to civil unrest, high-risk areas and natural disasters.
- Report the loss promptly in writing, with an accident report, photos and invoices, then keep proof of sending.
Takaful pricing elements to know in Chad
| Pricing element | Use | Main variables |
|---|---|---|
| Tabarru donation | Feed the participants' common fund | Cover, value of the asset, risk exposure |
| Wakala remuneration | Pay for the operator's management | Rate fixed in advance and approved under sharia |
| Mudaraba profit | Share the return on the fund's investments | Results of compliant investments |
| Year-end surplus | Partial refund to participants | Claims experience and mandatory reserves |
| Deductible | Minimum amount borne by the policyholder | Option chosen at subscription |
Documents a Chadian insurer will ask for
- Valid Chadian national identity card or passport
- Proof of residence issued by the local authority or a recent bill
- Vehicle registration, driving licence and previous insurance certificate
- Title deed or rental agreement for the property to be covered
- Full medical questionnaire for death and disability cover
- Murabaha or ijara financing agreement if the asset is financed
Errors to avoid for policyholders in Chad
- Accepting a contract presented as Islamic in N'Djamena without demanding proof of a takaful authorisation granted by the CRCA.
- Buying from a foreign insurer not licensed in Chad, which deprives the policyholder of the regional regulator's protection in a dispute.
- Cancelling motor third-party liability for lack of a compliant offer, in breach of the insurance obligation laid down in the CIMA Code.
- Believing that a conventional insurer's window automatically offers the same fund segregation as a fully takaful company.
- Relying on a verbal promise of surplus sharing that appears nowhere in the contract signed in Chad.
Takaful in Chad: questions and answers
Does the CIMA takaful regulation apply in Chad?
Yes. Regulations adopted by the Council of Insurance Ministers are valid in all fourteen CIMA member states, Chad included. Regulation No. 003 of 2019 therefore applies there, even though no operator is yet using it in the country.
Why is there no takaful company in Chad?
The sources consulted do not explain this gap. They only show that no takaful licence or extension has been identified there, while the first documented regional case, in Burkina Faso, was announced only in February 2025.
Whom should I contact to check a licence in Chad?
As no official website for the national directorate has been verified, contact the ministry in charge of finance or the CIMA General Secretariat. Ask for written confirmation that the company is licensed and that takaful activity is included in its authorisation.
Can a Chadian pilgrim get compliant insurance for Hajj?
Without a local takaful offer, a pilgrim can choose travel assistance covering only medical costs and repatriation, with no savings element. It is worth asking the trip organiser whether it offers takaful cover issued in a country where such cover is licensed.
Takaful operators and organisations
Noor Takaful InsuranceNigerian takaful company offering general and family takaful products to individuals and businesses.Takaful EmaratUAE takaful operator specialising in health and family protection cover for individuals and businesses.Jaiz Takaful InsuranceAbuja-based Nigerian takaful operator offering general and family insurance products in line with Sharia principles.Indicative list: assuranceislamique.com has no commercial link with these organisations. Always check the licence with the local regulator.