Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development 2024, 8(13), 8409. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd8409 1 Article Factors hindering the implementation of urban planning tools in Central Africa: Case study of reference urban plan for Sarh Town (Chad) François Teadoum Naringué 1,2,* , N’Dilbé Tob-Ro 3 , Ndonaye Allarané 1,2 , Vidjinnagni Vinasse Ametooyona Azagoun 1 , Follygan Hetcheli 1,2 1 Regional Center of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERViDA-DOUNEDON), University of Lome, Lome 01 BP 1515, Togo 2 Research Laborator on Spaces, Exchanges and Human Security, University of Lome, Lome 01 BP1515, Togo 3 Adam Barka University of Abeche, N’Djamena, BP 5539, Chad * Corresponding author: François Teadoum Naringué, teadoumnaringue@gmail.com Abstract: The reference urban plan is an urban planning tool often used to orient the development of Chadian cities. However, expanding Chadian urban centers, such as Sarh, face challenges in implementing urban planning orientations of their urban plans within the set deadlines. The objective of this study is to identify the factors impeding the effective implementation of the reference urban plan for Sarh town. The methodology employed encompasses a literature review, individual interviews with urban planning experts, geographic information system (GIS) data, household surveys and statistical analysis. The results revealed that less than a quarter (19.72%) of the households surveyed were aware of the reference urban plan. The applied logistic regression model identified age, occupation and level of education as the main factors influencing public participation in the preparation of the reference urban plan. On average, 33.33% of the urban planning guidelines and 21.74% of the projected urban projects were implemented, with a difference of 1631.28 hectares (ha) between the projected plan and the actual plan for the town. Five factors were identified as contributing to the failure to implement the reference urban plan for Sarh town, including low funding, inadequate land management, a lack of political will, weak governance and poor communication. Consequently, participatory and inclusive planning approaches, effective financial mobilisation, strong governance, and the use of modern technologies such as GIS tools are recommended to enhance the implementation of urban planning tools. Keywords: implementation challenges; infrastructure development; public participation; urban planning; urban policy; urbanisation 1. Introduction Since the second half of the 20th century, urbanisation has been humanity’s most significant and transformative phenomenon (Negeri et al., 2023). In 2021, 56% of the world’s population lived in urban areas, a figure that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050 (UN-Habitat, 2022). Consequently, cities are confronted with a multitude of intricate challenges, including housing affordability, inequality, poor air quality, inefficient infrastructure and poor transport systems (Eldesoky and Abdeldayem, 2023; Zhu and Xu, 2023). In sub-Saharan Africa, the demographic and spatial explosion of cities has not been accompanied by matching urban infrastructure (Dandonougbo and Hetcheli, 2016). According to UN-Habitat (2018), the urbanisation of African cities is accompanied by growing poverty, which in turn leads to an increase in the number of urban slums. In the absence of an appropriate planning policy, this urbanisation can give rise to social, economic and ecological tensions (Weldegebriel CITATION Teadoum NaringuéF, Tob–Ro N, AllaranéN, et al. (2024). Factors hindering the implementation of urban planning tools in Central Africa: case study of reference urban plan for Sarh Town (Chad). Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development. 8(13): 8409. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd8409 ARTICLE INFO Received: 5 August 2024 Accepted: 29 September 2024 Available online: 12 November 2024 COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2024 by author(s). Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development is published by EnPress Publisher, LLC. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/