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Businessman Nikos Kladis Xifitas stands at the entrance of his factory in N\u2019Djamena, Chad\u2019s capital, painted in the colors of the Greek and Chadian flags. [Aris Dimitrakopoulos]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Driving along the sandy streets of N\u2019Djamena, the capital of Chad, one might notice a series of villas under construction. These luxurious homes, with their flashy colors and towering walls, are destined to house members of the Chadian elite.<\/p>\n
Greek businessman Nikos Kladis Xifitas is the person behind their construction of many of them. Once a successful cement businessman in Greece, Xifitas, struck by the economic crisis, decided to leave the country in 2010 and start afresh in Chad, despite being well into his 50s. Fifteen years later, his company, Atlas Tchad, has become one of the country\u2019s leading concrete producers, employing around 150 people, nearly all of them locals.<\/p>\n
Kathimerini English Edition met Xifitas at his factory in N\u2019Djamena on the banks of the Chari River, the natural border between Chad and Cameroon. He proudly displays the Greek flag on the trucks of his company, as well as on the walls of his factory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Africa was a continent that offered opportunities suited to my skills,\u201d Xifitas explains, although he admits that the beginning was challenging, as he didn\u2019t speak French and had limited capital. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of belief in oneself,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are challenges in every place.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Chad is definitely not for the fainthearted. Despite its oil reserves and some recent growth, it remains one of the poorest countries in Africa, with an annual per capita GDP of just $680 and 44.8% of its 19.3 million citizens living below the national poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank. The ongoing war in neighboring Sudan has exacerbated the situation, driving over 720,000 refugees into the country.<\/p>\n Furthermore, violence can erupt suddenly. In 2021, the former president, Idriss Deby, died on the battlefield when he went to the front line to defend the capital against an attack by a rebel group advancing from Libya. More recently, an attack on the presidential palace by a group of dozens of machete-wielding men, allegedly affiliated with Islamist militant group Boko Haram, resulted in at least 19 deaths.<\/p>\n Xifitas recalls the time he was robbed of a significant sum outside his factory by three armed men, as well as the tense moment when a business associate pressed a gun to his stomach during a negotiation. \u201cThree men on motorcycles surrounded my car. I didn\u2019t react because I knew that any response would mean death,\u201d he says, reflecting on the robbery. He regrets that he had let his guard down, acknowledging it as a mistake on his part.<\/p>\n Beyond robbers and business rivals, Xifitas also has to contend with nature. Between May and October, during the rainy season, large areas of the country, including parts of the capital, flood. In order to protect his factory, Xifitas had to construct dams and continuously defend them against threats from both hippos and humans.<\/p>\n \u201cI built 1.3 kilometers of 2-3-meter-high water barriers around the factory. If I hadn\u2019t done that, I would have been ruined,\u201d he says, adding that the barriers not only safeguarded his factory but also protected a nearby neighborhood of about 30 to 40 houses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe faced sabotage. Some people tried to break the dams, so we had to guard them at night,\u201d he explains. \u201cHippos were also trying to enter the property to eat the grass. We managed to keep them away using strong spotlights.\u201d<\/p>\n Western presence in Chad is limited, while countries like the UAE, Russia, China and Turkey are steadily expanding their influence. Recently, the Chadian government ordered the withdrawal of French troops, following the path of many other African countries. Xifitas prefers not to get involved in political matters: \u201cI\u2019m solely focused on my business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Chad is diplomatically represented in Greece by honorary consul Efstathios Mokas, but the honorary consulate in N\u2019Djamena was closed around eight years ago. Instead, Greece is represented by its embassy in Kinshasa, some 1,800 kilometers away in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the only Greek in Chad and Niger,\u201d said Xifitas. \u201cThere is no Greek presence here, either from the state or its citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, Xifitas has no desire to return to Greece. For him, Chad, and the way of life that comes with it, has become home. \u201cI am a man of the game,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin the next 30 years, I want to create 10 times what I lost in Greece.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"fighting-hippos-and-robbers-the-lonely-greek-of-chad0\"](\"https:\/\/www.ekathimerini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_0538.jpg?1737044376055\")
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