Lake Chad Basin Commission Basin (not all of which feeds Lake Chad) includes eight countries, which, in descending area of land, included are: Chad, Niger, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria, and Libya. Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad (the four countries directly containing parts of Lake Chad and its wetlands) signed the Fort Lamy (today N'Djamena) Convention on May 22, 1964, which created the Lake Chad Basin Commission. The Central African Republic joined in 1996, and Libya joined in 2008. Sudan was admitted in July 2000, but has observer status because it has not ratified the founding convention. Algeria has not participated. The
Rail transport in Chad Imperial expansionist policy known as Mittelafrika. In the 1950s a line through Chad from Port Sudan to Nigeria was proposed but opposed by Chad governmental organisations. In 1958 plans for a line from Cameroon the "Société Civile d'Études du Chemin de Fer Douala-Tchad" (SEDOT) was formed, and continued planning led to start of construction in 1964 - the line was constructed as far as Ngaoundéré in Cameroon (the Trans-Cameroon Railway, completed 1975.). Initial plans were for an extension to Moundou in Chad, but this was not completed. In 1959 a multinational agency, the "Agence Transéquatoriale des Communications" (ATEC) was formed