In the late 1980s, public utilities in Chad were extremely limited.
[1] STEE provided water and electricity to the four main urban areas, N'Djamena, Moundou, Sarh, and Abéché.
Despite old equipment and high maintenance costs, STEE was able to meet about half of peak demand, which increased significantly from 1983 to 1986.
[1] In N'Djamena the majority of households had access to water.
[1] The high cost of electricity also hindered the expansion of small- and medium-sized enterprises.