Chad's oil resources offer a unique opportunity to help improve the quality of life of the citizens of this developing country.

The Republic of Chad began its current effort to develop its oil resources in 1969. Although exploration wells revealed the existence of oil by 1975, a civil war that began in 1979 caused a halt in exploration in 1981.

Soon after the return of peace, exploration resumed and the legal foundation for the current project was put into effect in 1988. The Convention Agreement signed in 1988 granted a consortium of petroleum companies a long term concession (30 years) to develop the oilfields at Doba in southern Chad and to produce and transport the oil to market. Under the Convention the Consortium was granted an initial exploration permit to 2004, that has since been updated.

By 1993, significant oil resources had been confirmed in the Doba region of southern Chad, within the original exploration territory designated in the 1988 agreement. In 1997, an amended Convention was enacted by the Chadian National Assembly. This agreement sets out the relationship between the Consortium and the Republic of Chad, including protocols for environmental protection, land acquisition and compensation, as well as royalty and tax payments.

From 1993 into mid-1996, a three-dimensional seismic exploration program was conducted, and additional appraisal wells were drilled. This pre-development activity further defined the extent and location of the oil deposits in southern Chad. The exploration data also allowed planners to determine preliminary locations for wells and other oilfield facilities, while also providing sufficient information to reduce projected land usage.

Although the project is aimed at developing oil resources in Chad, the Republic of Cameroon is also crucial to the success of the project. Because Chad is a landlocked country, it has no direct access to the ocean, which is the only practical means to move large quantities of crude oil from the interior of Africa to world markets. Access to the world oil market is key to Chad realizing value from its oil resources. For this reason, the project includes the construction of a 1,070-kilometer underground pipeline to carry Chadian crude oil across Cameroon to a marine shipping terminal 11 kilometers offshore from the coast of Cameroon near Kribi.

In 1996, Chad and Cameroon agreed to a bilateral treaty that provided for the construction and operation of the pipeline and other oil transportation facilities. In 1998, Cameroon's National Assembly enacted a Convention of Establishment setting out the relationship between the company which will operate the pipeline in Cameroon (COTCO) and the Republic of Cameroon. The Cameroon Convention established the protocols for environmental protection and land acquisition during construction and operation of the pipeline. It also set out the transportation fees and taxes that are being paid to the government of Cameroon.

From the original development efforts in the 1970s to the start of construction in year 2000, several oil companies were at different times involved in the early funding and planning of the project. By the time construction was launched in October 2000, the Consortium consisted of ExxonMobil (40%, project operator), Petronas (35%), and Chevron (25%).

Oil production commenced in late 2003. Since that time exploration has continued in other areas of southern Chad. In 2005, the Consortium began work on the Nya-Moundouli expansion project, which is developing two new oil fields in the vicinity of the original three fields of Komé, Miandoum, and Bolobo.