Inaugurated in 1965, N’Djamena Cathedral stood for years as a striking testament to the Catholic Church’s often-overlooked influence in Chad, where an estimated 23% of the population identify as Catholic.

During the turbulent 1980s, however, its distinctive arched roof was destroyed.

Modest restoration work in 1986 made the Cathedral fit for use, but the ordinary double-pitch steel roof the designers opted for looked jarring against the structure’s gabled end.

Then, in 2019, MiTek were called in at short notice to revive the restoration.

Several factors made this a tricky engineering proposition. The damaged wall structure had been replastered and refurbished, and even the parabolic gable and bell towers had already been faithfully recreated. This work had to be retained and preserved while adding a new roof.

Many voices in the industry believed this couldn’t be done. With Ultra-Span, however, the weight of the roof could be split across 850 centres, with trusses clustered close together, which minimised the point load effect on the foundations.

The new roof nonetheless involved the use of 96 tonnes of light gauge steel, which was the most steel used on any project carried out by MiTek South Africa. Logistics challenges meant the steel couldn’t come through nearby Cameroon. It had to travel through Spain and via Algeria by road to reach Chad.

The MiTek team, however, managed to get the project over the line, significantly below the previous contractor’s budget.

The Notre-Dame de la Paix de N’Djamena Cathedral was formally reopened in April 2023. Religious and secular leaders, including the Transitional President and representatives of many faiths, were there to witness its rededication.

“This was our way of making a statement about what MiTek can do,” says MiTek’s Uwe Schluter. “It’s a triumph of organisational skill at the engineering level. And when you see the impact on the community, we really couldn’t have done it all for a better cause.”