Territory · local governance · in English

Local governance:
who decides what, and how we take part.

Since the elections of 29 December 2024, much of what Bédjondo is waiting for is no longer decided in N’Djamena alone. This page gathers, level by level, what our files say about each decision-maker — from the State to the neighbourhoods, by way of the chieftaincies —, what we ask of each, where several must act together, and the indicators to follow it. It does not replace the files: it connects them. The source documents are in French.

6 levels of decision5 points of joint action7 indicators, 2 published
18municipal councillorselected for six years, renewable once
2ordinary sessions a yearplus the budget session
13shared areasbetween the State and local authorities
2.1 %of public revenuespent by local authorities (2020)

Who decides what

Six levels,
from the most national to the closest.

For each level: who it is, what falls to it according to our files, the problems in our territorial diagnosis that depend on it, and what we ask of it. The rule behind our advocacy is subsidiarity: what can be decided in Bédjondo should be decided in Bédjondo.

  1. 1

    The State

    Ministries, agencies, national programmes

    What the commune cannot do alone: electricity and telecommunications networks, major infrastructure, teachers and health workers, donor-funded programmes.

    Eight problems in our territorial diagnosis depend on it (in French).

    Our requests

    • Our advocacy files separate what falls to the State from what falls to the commune: we write to N’Djamena only about what the commune cannot do alone. Decentralisation · The eight advocacy files (in French)
    • That national programmes and donors name Bédjondo among their targets. Decentralisation (in French)
  2. 2

    The province of Mandoul

    Governor; provincial council elected on 29 December 2024

    A self-governing local authority, like the commune: it is run by an elected assembly. Our files attach to it the boundaries and attachments of the cantons, and fuelwood.

    Two problems in our territorial diagnosis depend on it (in French).

    Our requests

  3. 3

    The department of Mandoul Occidental

    Prefect; sub-prefectures (Bédjondo, Bébopen, Békamba, Péni)

    The State’s representative in the department. Our files address to it the boundary disputes between cantons and the departure of children to gold-mining sites, which the diagnosis attaches to the department.

    One problem in our territorial diagnosis depends on it (in French).

    Our requests

    • That the disputed boundaries between the department’s cantons be surveyed, discussed and settled, rather than reawakened every season; the association undertakes to hand the prefecture its survey of disputed boundaries. Farmer–herder peace (in French)
  4. 4

    The commune of Bédjondo

    Mayor; council of eighteen councillors elected for six years

    An autonomous urban local authority. Thirteen areas shared with the State, including water, sanitation, the market, roads, town planning, and support to schools and health centres.

    Eight problems in our territorial diagnosis depend on it (in French).

    Our requests

    • Four rules, at no cost: a public and binding communal development plan, own revenues collected and accounted for, sessions announced and open, written agreements with associations. Decentralisation · Note to the commune (in French)
    • Ten priority projects and twenty-nine measures, gathered on one page. Proposals to the commune (in French)
  5. 5

    The traditional chieftaincies

    Canton chiefs, village chiefs, customary custodians

    What may be said about a place, and to whom; preventing conflicts closest to the ground; guaranteeing land. Our files also note the weakening role of traditional authorities, who once settled disputes.

    Three problems in our territorial diagnosis depend on it (in French).

    Our requests

    • Chair, in each canton, a joint farmer–herder committee with equal representation, meeting before the season, and keep the mediation logbook with the town hall. Farmer–herder peace (in French)
    • Keep the register of sacred sites, in a single paper copy, under the canton chief’s responsibility, never published; ask the commune to record their perimeters in the plan. Sacred sites and burial grounds (in French)
    • Guarantee in writing, with the commune, the land for public facilities. Sports complex (in French)
  6. 6

    Neighbourhoods and residents

    Neighbourhood chiefs; neighbourhood committees (proposed); residents

    The first informants and the first relays: needs reported, upkeep of local facilities, health relays.

    Our requests

Acting together

Where two levels
must talk to each other.

Commune, chieftaincies, prefecture, neighbourhoods: on these five subjects, none can succeed alone. Each point is already written in one of our files.

Commune · chieftaincy

The town plan

The commune adopts the plan and issues building permits; the chieftaincy asks it to record the perimeter of sacred sites and burial grounds — an outline, with no reason given and no name.

Sacred sites and burial grounds · Proposals to the commune (in French)

Commune · chieftaincy

Land for facilities

Land guaranteed in writing, by the commune and the chieftaincy, before any building work: not one bag of cement without an agreement.

Sports complex (in French)

Canton chiefs · commune · prefecture

Peace between farmers and herders

Corridors traced with the canton chiefs, adopted by the commune and posted; a joint committee chaired by the chieftaincy; a mediation logbook in two copies, at the chieftaincy and at the town hall; disputed boundaries taken to the prefecture.

Farmer–herder peace (in French)

Commune · neighbourhood chiefs · residents

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhood committees recognised by municipal order, a register of complaints read out in session, health relays and street upkeep organised with the neighbourhood chiefs.

Note to the commune · Health advocacy · Roads and bridges advocacy (in French)

All levels

Consultation

A quarterly consultation committee: town hall, association, prefecture or sub-prefecture, chieftaincies, women’s representatives and youth representatives.

Proposals to the commune (in French)

Following up

Indicators,
published and proposed.

The first two already appear in the results framework of our advocacy files. The others were proposed on 30 September 2026 and are still to be approved by the association’s board; their targets and deadlines will be set with the commune, not before.

IndicatorBaselineTargetDeadlineEvidenceStatus
Ordinary council sessions announced in advance0 / 22 / 22027Posted notice and agendapublished
The commune’s own revenues publishednoyes, every year2027Communal administrative accountpublished
Framework agreement between commune and association signed and publishednosignedto be setAgreement published on the siteproposed
Neighbourhood committees recognised by municipal ordernone knownone per neighbourhoodto be setMunicipal ordersproposed
Register of complaints kept and read out in sessionnot knownyesto be setSession minutesproposed
Mediation logbooks kept0one per cantonto be setLogbooks, at the chieftaincy and the town hallproposed
Women and young people on the consultation committeecommittee not yet convenedto be set by the committeeto be setAttendance list publishedproposed

Source of the published indicators: results framework of the advocacy files (in French). Their follow-up appears on the impact dashboard.

Our method

Six rules,
that we apply to ourselves first.

  1. Nothing without data. No figure without its source; the inventories that are missing, we produce.
  2. Subsidiarity. What can be decided in Bédjondo should be decided in Bédjondo.
  3. Something in return. We never ask without committing ourselves.
  4. A public record. Dates sent, replies, commitments: everything is recorded, silences included.
  5. Upkeep before inauguration. Who maintains it, with what money, trained by whom.
  6. No party, no substitute. We put forward no candidates and we replace neither the commune nor the chieftaincies.

Further reading

The files
this page connects.

ProposalsOur proposals to the communeTen priority projects and twenty-nine measures, and our approach with the commune and local authorities.File · in FrenchDecentralisation & local developmentThe legal framework, the gap between the texts and the means, the four rules we ask of the council.File · in FrenchPeace between farmers and herdersSix measures at canton level, including the joint committee and the mediation logbook.AdvocacyOur advocacy filesWhat we ask of the State and the commune, file by file.

This page translates the French page Gouvernance locale, which is the reference and lists, level by level, the problems in our territorial diagnosis. Spotted a factual error? Report it (in French): it will be corrected and dated.