UN partners, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and GSMA, announced they are working on expanding efforts in Chad and other refugee-hosting countries to provide affordable connectivity to millions of forcibly displaced people and local communities in the next five years.
During a joint visit to Chad late last week, representatives from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, ITU and GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation sought to finalise the regulatory and infrastructure framework to expand the Connectivity for Refugees (CfR) initiative, which seeks to mobilize resources so all major refugee hosting areas in Africa have connectivity by 2030.
First launched in 2023, CfR has since evolved into a private-public partnership active in countries including Chad, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mauritania, Egypt and Rwanda.
UNHCR said it is calling on partners across sectors to expand infrastructure and lift regulatory barriers to individual access for displaced people. To that end, CfR is seeking at least US$20 million in core support, with at least US$200 million in direct investment and contributions.
“Our goal is ambitious – connecting 20 million forcibly displaced people and their hosts by 2030,” said UNHCR deputy high commissioner Kelly T. Clements in a joint statement. “We've shifted gears, and are starting to deliver results which will help create resilient, inclusive communities. But we need to keep pushing.”
Clements added that UNHCR is also deepening its engagement with development actors like the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) to allocate portions of large-scale digital infrastructure projects to refugee-hosting areas.
In Chad alone, the country currently hosts around 1.5 million refugees, mainly from Sudan The Chad government’s development plan, Tchad Connexion 2030, aims to integrate refugee needs into broader digital infrastructure.
Local mobile operators Airtel Chad and Moov have made infrastructure upgrades to help connect isolated people east of the country. Emergency.LU, a public-private partnership funded by Luxembourg enabling high-performance satellite connectivity, is being deployed across several locations in Chad. Four connected centres are being established in Djabal, Farchana, Idrimi, and Oure Cassoni settlements, serving as learning hubs for Sudanese refugees and host communities alike.
“Connectivity is often the first thing people ask for when crossing a border seeking safety,” said John Giusti, president of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation (which is a founding member of CfR). “This unique partnership with UNHCR and ITU allows the GSMA to broker scalable and sustainable connectivity solutions to support forcibly displaced people and the communities that host them around the world.”
