Hadid kilo in N’Djamena: how scrap metal trade exploits children
In neighborhoods across N’Djamena, the streets echo with the cry of itinerant merchants pushing carts overflowing with scrap metal, shouting: ‘Hadid kilo! Hadid kilo!’ What began as a modest recycling trade has rapidly expanded into a lucrative, yet deeply troubling, economic activity in Chad’s capital.
This informal scrap metal trade, known locally as ‘Hadid kilo’, has grown in popularity, drawing in vulnerable children who are increasingly lured by the promise of quick cash. Many of these merchants operate without proper registration or residency permits, often migrating from neighboring countries such as Niger and Nigeria. Their main goal: to earn as much as possible before returning home.
The consequences for N’Djamena’s youth are alarming. In the Ngabo district, a 10-year-old child was reported to have sold his mother’s gas cylinder to a ‘Hadid kilo’ trader for just 600 FCFA. In Ndjari, an 8-year-old reportedly parted with his younger brother’s bicycle for 250 FCFA. Meanwhile, in the Zafaye area, a child sold part of his father’s car engine for 1,000 FCFA. These incidents are not isolated—each day, more children are being pushed into theft to feed the demand for scrap metal.
Parents and community members are deeply concerned. Many believe this trade is fostering a culture of theft among minors, normalizing dangerous behavior and jeopardizing their future. The ease with which children can sell household items—often without immediate detection—has created a cycle of desperation and risk.
Calls for action are growing louder. Local residents are urging authorities to intervene by banning the purchase of scrap metal from children, tightening oversight of street vendors in markets and neighborhoods, and implementing strict measures to shield minors from exploitation. Without decisive steps, they warn, the education and moral development of Chad’s next generation are at serious risk.
Observers emphasize the need for urgent government intervention to curb this trend, protect children’s rights, and prevent further slide into youth delinquency and instability.
