N’Djamena: a new entertainment space for the youth of Toukra

Par Katchibé Mapagne

On June 10, 2026, the sports site in the Toukra district, in the 9th district of N’Djamena, hosted the official ceremony to launch the activities of the project to create an innovative entertainment space for young people. An event placed under the sign of citizenship, the environment and youth.

The ceremony brought together the municipal authorities, representatives of the PILIER Project, the Vision and Service Foundation (FOVELS), the implementation organization, as well as local residents and many children from the neighborhood. It was symbolized by a collective planting of trees, the first concrete act of a project which aims to sustainably transform the environment of life of the inhabitants of Toukra.

At the origin of this initiative is a financing agreement signed between the Chadian government, under the direction of Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby, President of the Republic, and the World Bank, as part of the fight against flooding in N’Djamena and throughout the national territory. It is within this framework that the PILIER Project was created, whose social and environmental component provides for the creation of green and leisure spaces in vulnerable neighborhoods of the capital.

The UNDP, financial partner of the project, launched a call for expressions of interest from associations and non-governmental organizations active in the commune of the 9th arrondissement. The Vision and Service Foundation (FOVELS) was selected to lead this mission.

Officially titled “Project to create an innovative entertainment space at the Toukra sports site”, this public micro-project is structured around three complementary components:

– A Maracana-type grass football pitch;
– A mini-restaurant aimed at young people in the neighborhood;
РUn espace vert arbor̩ et am̩nag̩.

Speaking on behalf of FOVELS, Mr. Mbaïramadji Nolfemsé, Chairman of the Board of Directors, specified that the project extends over a period of six months, two of which have already passed. “There are four months left. This is why we wanted to proceed now with the official launch phase, symbolized by the planting of trees,” he indicated.

Representing the municipal authorities, Mr. Yamadse Sotinan, Deputy Secretary General of the 9th arrondissement, was keen to raise awareness among the audience – and particularly the children present – ​​about the civic nature of this funding. He recalled that the agreement signed with the World Bank constitutes a debt contracted on behalf of all Chadians, repaid collectively through taxes on consumer goods, fuel and electricity bills.

“It’s not the president’s money alone. He took on this debt in the name of all Chadians. We all do the repayment,” he declared, calling on each resident to consider this space as their own property.

Mr. Sotinan urged residents, first and foremost children, to monitor the construction site and report any irregularities to the district manager. He also challenged FOVELS on the need to carry out the work in strict compliance with the rules of the art and professional ethics.

The tree planting, the highlight of the ceremony, embodied this logic of collective appropriation. “When this tree grows, you will be able to tell your children: it was I who planted it, it was I who watered it. This is how you build a neighborhood, this is how you build a country,” he concluded to the applause of the audience.

At the end of the work, the Toukra sports site will offer young people in the 9th arrondissement a complete, secure and collectively maintained leisure space. An infrastructure which, beyond sport, aims to become a real place of life and socialization for the youth of the neighborhood. “Chad is changing. And this change starts from us parents, children, mothers, fathers and sons,” recalled Mr. Sotinan closing his speech.