Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. HP 448007-001 battery
Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km2, making it the largest nation in West Africa, with over 80 percent of its land area covered by the Sahara desert. The country's predominantly Islamic population of just above 15,000,000 is mostly clustered in the far south and west of the nation. HP Pavilion DV7 battery
The capital city is Niamey, located in the far southwest corner of Niger.
Niger is a developing country, and consistently ranks as one of the lowest ranks of the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI), 186th of 187 countries in 2011. Much of the non-desert portions of the country are threatened by periodic drought and desertification. HP DV6-1120SA battery
The economy is concentrated around subsistence and some export agriculture clustered in the more fertile south, and the export of raw materials, especially uranium ore. Niger remains handicapped by its landlocked position, desert terrain, poor education and poverty of its people, lack of infrastructure, poor health care, and environmental degradation. HP DV6-1210SA battery
Nigerien (/niːˈʒɛəriən/ or pronunciation: /naɪdʒɪrɪˈɛn/) society reflects a diversity drawn from the long independent histories of its several ethnic groups and regions and their relatively short period living in a single state. Historically, what is now Niger has been on the fringes of several large states. Since independence, Nigeriens have lived under five constitutions and three periods of military rule. Compaq CQ50 battery
Following a military coup in 2010, Niger has now become a democratic, multi-party state. A majority live in rural areas, and have little access to advanced education.
Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa located along the border between theSahara and Sub-Saharan regions. It lies between latitudes 11° and 24°N, and longitudes 0° and 16°E. HP Pavilion DV8 battery
Niger's area is 1,267,000 square kilometres (489,191 sq mi) of which 300 square kilometres (116 sq mi) is water. This makes it slightly less than twice the size of the US state of Texas, and the world's twenty-second largest country (after Chad).
Niger borders seven countries and has a total perimeter of 5,697 kilometres (3,540 mi). Sony VGP-BPS13 battery
The longest border is with Nigeria to the south (1,497 km/930 mi). This is followed by Chad to the east, at 1,175 km (730 mi), Algeria to the north-northwest (956 km/594 mi), and Mali at 821 km (510 mi). Niger also has small borders in its far southwest with Burkina Faso at 628 km (390 mi) and Benin at 266 km (165 mi) and to the north-northeast Libya at 354 km (220 mi). HP DV9700 battery
The lowest point is the Niger River, with an elevation of 200 metres (656 ft). The highest point is Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès in the Aïr Mountains at 2,022 m (6,634 ft).
Niger's subtropical climate is mainly very hot and dry, with much desert area. In the extreme south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin. Compaq CQ35-100 battery
The terrain is predominantly desert plains and sand dunes, with flat to rolling savanna in the south and hills in the north.
While most of what is now Niger has been subsumed into the inhospitable Sahara desert in the last two thousand years, five thousand years ago the north of the country was fertile grasslands. Sony VGP-BPS11 battery
Populations of pastoralists have left paintings of abundant wildlife, domesticated animals, chariots, and a complex culture that dates back to at least 10,000 BCE. Several former northern villages and archaeological sites date from the Green Sahara period of 7,500–7,000 to 3,500–3,000 BCE.[7] HP G62-227CL Battery
Early historical period
The Songhai Empire expanded into what is modern Niger from the 15th century, reaching as far as Agadez before its collapse in 1591, from which the modern Zarma and Songhai peoples trace their history. HP G62-228CL Battery
At its fall, portions of the empire and refugees from modern Mali formed a series of Songhai states, with the Dendi Kingdom becoming the most powerful. From the 13th century, the nomadic Tuareg formed large confederations, pushed southward, into the Aïr Mountains, displacing some previous residents to the south. HP G62-229WM Battery
At their peak, the Tuareg confederations ruled most of what is now northern Niger, and extended their influence into modern Nigeria.
In the 18th century, Fula pastoralists moved into the Liptako area of the west, while smaller Zarma kingdoms, siding with variousHausa states, clashed with the expanding Fulani Empire of Sokoto from the south. HP G62-251TU Battery
The colonial border with British Nigeria was in part based on the rupture between the Sokoto Caliphate to the south, and Hausa ruling dynasties which had fled to the north. In the far east around the Lake Chad basin, the successive expansion of the Kanem Empire and Bornu Empire spread ethnically Kanuriand Toubou rulers and their subject states as far west as Zinder and the Kaouar Oases from the 10th to the 17th centuries. HP G62-251XX Battery
In the 19th century, contact with the West began when the first European explorers — notably Mungo Park (British) and Heinrich Barth (German) — explored the area, searching for the source of the Niger River. Although French efforts at "pacification" began before 1900, dissident ethnic groups, especially the desert Tuareg, were not fully subdued until 1922, when Niger became a French colony. HP G62-550EE Battery
Niger's colonial history and development parallel that of other French West African territories. France administered its West African colonies through a governor general in Dakar, Senegal, and governors in the individual territories, including Niger. HP G62-A00EF Battery
In addition to conferring French citizenship on the inhabitants of the territories, the 1946 French constitution provided for decentralization of power and limited participation in political life for local advisory assemblies. HP G62-A10EV Battery
Early independence
A further revision in the organization of overseas territories occurred with the passage of the Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre) of 23 July 1956, followed by reorganizing measures enacted by the French Parliament early in 1957. HP G62-A16SL Battery
In addition to removing voting inequalities, these laws provided for creation of governmental organs, assuring individual territories a large measure of self-government. After the establishment of the Fifth French Republic on 4 December 1958, Niger became an autonomous state within theFrench Community. HP G62-A20ER Battery
Following full independence on 3 August 1960, however, membership was allowed to lapse.
Single party and military rule (1961–1991)
For its first fourteen years as an independent state, Niger was run by a single-party civilian regime under the presidency ofHamani Diori. HP G62-A23EE Battery
In 1974, a combination of devastating drought and accusations of rampant corruption resulted in a coup d'état that overthrew the Diori regime. Col. Seyni Kountché and a small military group ruled the country until Kountché's death in 1987.[8]
He was succeeded by his Chief of Staff, Col. HP G62-A30ER Battery
Ali Saibou, who released political prisoners, liberalized some of Niger's laws and policies, and promulgated a new constitution, with the creation of a single party constitutional Second Republic. However, President Saibou's efforts to control political reforms failed in the face of union and student demands to institute a multi-partydemocratic system. HP G62-A40ER Battery
The Saibou regime acquiesced to these demands by the end of 1990.
New political parties and civic associations sprang up, and a national peace conference was convened in July 1991 to prepare the way for the adoption of a new constitution and the holding of free and fair elections. HP G62-A45EE Battery
The debate was often contentious and accusatory, but under the leadership of Prof. André Salifou, the conference developed a plan for a transition government.
Third Republic
This caretaker government was installed in November 1991 to manage the affairs of state until the institutions of the Third Republic were put into place in April 1993. HP G62-A46EE Battery
While the economy deteriorated over the course of the transition, certain accomplishments stand out, including the successful conduct of a constitutional referendum; the adoption of key legislation such as the electoral and rural codes; and the holding of several free, fair, and non-violent nationwide elections. HP G62-A53EE Battery
Freedom of the press flourished with the appearance of several new independent newspapers.
The results of the January 1995 parliamentary election meant cohabitation between a rival president and prime minister; this led to governmental paralysis, which provided Col. Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara a rationale to overthrow the Third Republic in January 1996. HP G62T-100 Battery
Military rule and the Fourth Republic
While leading a military authority that ran the government (Conseil de Salut National) during a 6-month transition period, Baré enlisted specialists to draft a new constitution for a Fourth Republic announced in May 1996. HP G62T-100 CTO Battery
Baré organized a presidential election in July 1996. While voting was still going on, he replaced the electoral commission. The new commission declared him the winner after the polls closed. His party won 57% of parliament seats in a flawed legislative election in November 1996. HP G62-145NR Battery
When his efforts to justify his coup and subsequent questionable elections failed to convince donors to restore multilateral and bilateral economic assistance, a desperate Baré ignored an international embargo against Libya and sought Libyan funds to aid Niger's economy. In repeated violations of basic civil liberties by the regime, opposition leaders were imprisoned; HP G62-147NR Battery
journalists often arrested, and deported by an unofficial militia composed of police and military; and independent media offices were looted and burned.
As part of an initiative started under the 1991 national conference, however, the government signed peace accords in April 1995 with all, HP G62-149WM Battery
meaning Tuareg and Toubougroups that had been in rebellion since 1990. The Tuareg claimed they lacked attention and resources from the central government. The government agreed to absorb some former rebels into the military and, with French assistance, help others return to a productive civilian life. HP G62-150EF Battery
Fifth Republic since 1999
On 9 April 1999, Baré was killed in a coup led by Maj. Daouda Malam Wanké, who established a transitional National Reconciliation Council to oversee the drafting of a constitution for a Fifth Republic with a French style semi-presidential system.HP G62-150EQ Battery
In votes that international observers found to be generally free and fair, the Nigerien electorate approved the new constitution in July 1999 and held legislative and presidential elections in October and November 1999. HP G62-150ET Battery
Heading a coalition of the National Movement for a Developing Society (MNSD) and the Democratic and Social Convention (CDS), Mamadou Tandja won the election.
The new second term government of the Fifth Republic took office on 30 December 2002. HP G62-150EV Battery
In August 2002, serious unrest within the military occurred in Niamey, Diffa, and Nguigmi, but the government was able to restore order within several days.
The legislature elected in December 2004 contained seven political parties. President Mamadou Tandja was re-elected in December 2004 and reappointed Hama Amadou as Prime Minister. Mahamane Ousmane, HP G62-150SE Battery
the head of the CDS, was re-elected President of the National Assembly (parliament) by his peers.
In June 2007, Seyni Oumarou was nominated as the new Prime Minister after Hama Amadou was democratically forced out of office by the National Assembly through a motion of no confidence. HP G62-150SF Battery
From 2007 to 2008, the Second Tuareg Rebellion took place in northern Niger, worsening economic prospects and shutting down political progress.
In a February 2010 coup d'état, a military junta was established in response to Tandja's attempted extension of his political termthrough constitutional manipulation. HP G62-153CA Battery
The coup established a junta led by the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, which then held elections in 2011 that were judged internationally to be free and fair.
Politics
Niger's new constitution was approved in July 1999. HP G62-150SL Battery
It restored the semi-presidential system of government of the December 1992 constitution (Third Republic) in which the president of the republic, elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term, and a prime minister named by the president share executive power. HP G62-154CA Battery
As a reflection of Niger's increasing population, the unicameral National Assembly was expanded in 2004 to 113 deputies elected for a 5 year term under a majority system of representation. Political parties must attain at least 5% of the vote in order to gain a seat in the legislature. HP G62-165SL Battery
The constitution also provides for the popular election of municipal and local officials, and the first-ever successful municipal elections took place on 24 July 2004. The National Assembly passed in June 2002 a series of decentralization bills. As a first step, administrative powers will be distributed among 265 communes (local councils); HP G62-166SB Battery
in later stages, regions and departments will be established as decentralized entities. A new electoral code was adopted to reflect the decentralization context. The country is currently divided into 8 regions, which are subdivided into 36 districts (departments). The chief administrator (Governor) in each department is appointed by the government and functions primarily as the local agent of the central authorities. HP G62-200 Battery
On 26 May 2009, President Tandja dissolved parliament after the country's constitutional court ruled against plans to hold a referendum on whether to allow him a third term in office. According to the constitution, a new parliament was elected within three months.[9] This touched off a political struggle between Tandja, HP G62-200XX Battery
trying to extend his term-limited authority beyond 2009 through the establishment of a Sixth Republic, and his opponents who demanded that he step down at the end of his second term in December 2009. See 2009 Nigerien constitutional crisis. The military took over the country and President Tandja was put in prison, charged with corruption. HP G62-201XX Battery
The military kept their promise to return the country to democratic civilian rule. A constitutional referendum and national elections were held. A presidential election was held on 31 January 2011, but as no clear winner emerged, run-off elections were held on 12 March 2011. HP G62-219WM Battery
Mahamadou Issoufou of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism was elected president. A parliamentary election was held at the same time.
Regions, departments, and communes
Niger is divided into 7 Regions and one capital district. These Regions are subdivided into 36departments. HP G62-220US Battery
The 36 Departments are currently broken down into Communes of varying types. As of 2006 there were 265 communes, including communes urbaines (Urban Communes: as subdivisions of major cities), communes rurales (Rural Communes, in sparsely populated areas and postes administratifs (Administrative Posts) for largely uninhabited desert areas or military zones.HP G62-225DX Battery
Rural communes may contain official villages and settlements, while Urban Communes are divided into quarters. Niger subvisions were renamed in 2002, in the implementation of a decentralisation project, first begun in 1998. Previously, Niger was divided into 7 Departments, 36 Arrondissements, and Communes. HP G62-226NR Battery
These subdivisions were administered by officials appointed by the national government. These offices will be replaced in the future by democratically elected councils at each level.
Foreign relations
Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly relations with the West and the Islamic world as well as nonaligned countries. HP G62-125EL Battery
It belongs to the UN and its main specialized agencies and in 1980–81 served on the UN Security Council. Niger maintains a special relationship with former colonial power France and enjoys close relations with its West African neighbors. HP G62-125EV Battery
It is a charter member of the African Union and the West African Monetary Union and also belongs to the Niger Basin Authority andLake Chad Basin Commission, the Economic Community of West African States, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA). HP G62-125SL Battery
The westernmost regions of Niger are joined with contiguous regions Mali and Burkina Faso under the Liptako-Gourma Authority.
The border dispute with Benin, inherited from colonial times and concerning inter alia Lete Island in the River Niger was finally solved by the ICJ in 2005 to Niger's advantage. HP G62-130EG Battery
Military
The Niger Armed Forces total 12,000 personnel with approximately 3,700 gendarmes, 300 air force, and 6,000 army personnel. The air force has four operational transport aircraft. The armed forces include general staff and battalion task force organizations consisting of two paratroop units, HP G62-130EK Battery
four light armored units, and nine motorized infantry units located in Tahoua, Agadez, Dirkou, Zinder, Nguigmi, N'Gourti, and Madewela. Since January 2003, Niger has deployed a company of troops to Côte d’Ivoire as part of the ECOWAS stabilization force. HP G62-130ET Battery
In 1991, Niger sent four hundred military personnel to join the American-led allied forces against Iraq during the Gulf War.
Niger's defense budget is modest, accounting for about 1.6% of government expenditures. France provides the largest share of military assistance to Niger. HP G62-130EV Battery
Morocco, Algeria, China, and Libya have also provided military assistance. Approximately 15 French military advisers are in Niger. Many Nigerien military personnel receive training in France, and the Nigerien Armed Forces are equipped mainly with military hardware either sold or donated by France. HP G62-130SD Battery
In the past, U.S. assistance focused on training pilots and aviation support personnel, professional military education for staff officers, and initial specialty training for junior officers. A small foreign military assistance program was initiated in 1983. A U.S. Defense Attaché office opened in June 1985 and assumed Security Assistance Office responsibilities in 1987. HP G62-130SL Battery
The office closed in 1996 following a coup d'état. A U.S. Defense Attaché office reopened in July 2000. The United States provided transportation and logistical assistance to Nigerien troops deployed to Cote d’Ivoire in 2003. HP G62-134CA Battery
Additionally, the U.S. provided initial equipment training on vehicles and communications gear to a select contingent of Nigerien soldiers as part of the Department of State Pan Sahel Initiative.
In February 2010, the army of Niger staged another coup d'état, HP G62-135EV Battery
that ousted President Tandja Mamadou, who had been behaving in an increasingly dictatorial fashion. The army claims to be acting toward the restoration of democracy.
Transport
Transport is crucial to the economy and culture of this vast landlocked nation, with cities separated by huge uninhabited deserts, mountain ranges, and other natural features. HP G62-140EF Battery
Niger's transport system was little developed during the colonial period (1899–1960), relying upon animal transport, human transport, and limited river transport in the far south west and south east.
No railways were constructed in the colonial period, and most roads outside the capital remained unpaved. HP G62-140EL Battery
The Niger River is unsuitable for river transport of any large scale, as it lacks depth for most of the year, and is broken by rapids at many spots. Camel caravan transport was historically important in the Sahara desert and Sahel regions which cover most of the north. HP G62-140EQ Battery
Road
Road transport, especially shared taxis, buses, and trucks, are the primary form of long distance transport for most Nigeriens. There were 10,100 km of roads in the nation in 1996, but only 798 km were paved. HP G62-140ES Battery
Most of this total was in large cities and in two main highways. The first major paved highway was constructed in the 1970s and 80s to transport uranium from the far northern mining town of Arlit to the Benin border. (Much of Niger's export economy relies upon ports in Cotonou, Lomé, and Port Harcourt.) HP G62-140ET Battery
This road, dubbed the Uranium Highway runs through Arlit, Agadez, Tahoua, Birnin-Konni, and Niamey, and is part of the Trans-Sahara Highway system. The paved RN1 ("Routes Nationale") runs east-west across the south of the nation, HP G62-140SF Battery
from Niamey via Maradiand Zinder towards Diffa in the far east of the nation, although the stretch from Zinder to Diffa is only partially paved. Other roads range from all-weather laterite surfaces to grated dirt or sand pistes, especially in the desert north. These form a more extensive numbered highway system. HP G62-140SS Battery
Air transport
Niger's main international airport is Diori Hamani International Airport at Niamey. Other airports in Niger include Mano Dayak International Airport at Agadez andZinder Airport near Zinder. HP G62-140US Battery
Economy
The economy of Niger centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy. HP G62-143CL Battery
Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. Niger is also a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).[13] HP G62-144DX Battery
In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund for Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF).HP G62-115SE Battery
Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. HP G62-115SO Battery
In December 2005, it was announced that Niger had received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately $86 million USD in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. HP G62-117SO Battery
Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have recovered somewhat in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens. HP G62-118EO Battery
Agriculture
The agricultural economy is based largely upon internal markets, subsistence agriculture, and the export of raw commodities: food stuffs and cattle to neighbors.[14] Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 18% of the population.[14] HP G62-120EC Battery
14% of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production (camels, goats, sheep and cattle), said to support 29% of the population. Thus 53% of the population is actively involved in crop production.[14] The 15% of Niger's land that is arable is found mainly along its southern border with Nigeria. HP G62-120EE Battery
In these areas, Pearl millet, sorghum, and cassava are the principal rain-fed subsistence crops. Irrigated rice for internal consumption is grown in parts of the Niger River valley in the west. While expensive, it has, since the devaluation of the CFA franc, sold for below the price of imported rice, encouraging additional production. HP G62-120EG Battery
Cowpeas and onions are grown for commercial export, as are small quantities of garlic, peppers, potatoes, and wheat. Oasis farming in small patches of the north of the country produces onions, dates, and some market vegetables for export.[14] HP G62-120EH Battery
But for the most part, rural residents engaged in crop tending are clustered in the south centre and south west of the nation, in those areas (the Sahel) which can expect to receive between 300 to 600 mm (12 to 24 in) of rainfall annually. A small area in the southern tip of the nation, surrounding Gaya can expect to receive 700 to 900 mm (28 to 35 in) or rainfall. HP G62-120EK Battery
Northern areas which support crops, such as the southern portions of the Aïr Massif and the Kaouar oasis, rely upon oases and a slight increase in rainfall due to mountain effects. Large portions of the northwest and far east of the nation, while within the Sahara desert, see just enough seasonal rainfall to support semi-nomadic animal husbandry. HP G62-120EL Battery
The populations of these areas, mostly Tuareg, Wodaabe – Fula, and Toubou, travel south (a process calledtranshumance) to pasture and sell animals in the dry season, north into the Sahara in the brief rainy season.[8]
Rainfall varies and when it is insufficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and food aid to meet food requirements. HP G62-120EP Battery
Rains, as in much of the Sahel, have been marked by annual variability. This has been especially true in the 20th century, with the most severe drought on record beginning in the late 1960s and lasting, with one break, well into the 1980s. The long-term effect of this, especially to pastoralist populations, remains in the 21st century, HP G62-120EQ Battery
with those communities which rely upon cattle, sheep, and camels husbandry losing entire herds more than once during this period. Recent rains remain variable. For instance, the rains in 2000 were not good, those in 2001 were plentiful and well distributed. HP G62-120ES Battery
The Kandadji Dam on the Niger River, whose construction started in August 2008, is expected to improve agricultural production in theTillaberi Department by providing water for the irrigation of 6,000 hectares initially and of 45,000 hectares by 2034.[15]HP G62-120ET Battery
Exports
Uranium is Niger's largest export. Foreign exchange earnings from livestock, although difficult to quantify, are second. Actual exports far exceed official statistics, which often fail to detect large herds of animals informally crossing into Nigeria. HP G62-120EY Battery
Some hides and skins are exported, and some are transformed into handicrafts. Substantial deposits of phosphates, coal, iron, limestone, and gypsum also have been found in Niger.
Uranium
The persistent uranium price slump has brought lower revenues for Niger's uranium sector, although uranium still provides 72% of national export proceeds. HP G62-120SE Battery
The nation enjoyed substantial export earnings and rapid economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s after the opening of two large uranium mines near the northern town of Arlit. When the uranium-led boom ended in the early 1980s, however, the economy stagnated, and new investment since then has been limited. HP G62-120SL Battery
Niger's two uranium mines — SOMAIR's open pit mine and COMINAK's underground mine — are owned by a French-led consortium and operated by French interests. However, as of 2007, many licences have been given to other companies from countries such asIndia, Canada and Australia in order to exploit new deposits. HP G62-120SS Battery
Gold
Exploitable deposits of gold are known to exist in Niger in the region between the Niger River and the border with Burkina Faso. On 5 October 2004, President Tandja announced the official opening of the Samira Hill Gold Mine in Tera Department and the first Nigerien gold ingot was presented to him. HP G62-120SW Battery
This marked a historical moment for Niger as the Samira Hill Gold Mine represents the first commercial gold production in the country.
Samira Hill is owned by a company called SML (Societe des Mines du Liptako) which is a joint venture between a Moroccan company,Societe Semafo, HP G62-121EE Battery
and a Canadian company, Etruscan Resources. Both companies own 80% (40% – 40%) of SML and the Government of Niger 20%. The first year's production is predicted to be 135,000 troy ounces (4,200 kg; 9,260 lb avoirdupois) of gold at a cash value of USD 177 per ounce ($5.70/g). HP G62-125EK Battery
The mine reserves for the Samira Hill mine total 10,073,626 tons at an average grade of 2.21 grams per ton from which 618,000 troy ounces (19,200 kg; 42,400 lb) will be recovered over a 6 year mine life. HP G62-106SA Battery
SML believes to have a number of significant gold deposits within what is now recognized as the gold belt known as the "Samira Horizon", which is located between Gotheye and Ouallam.[16]
Coal
The parastatal SONICHAR (Société Nigerienne de Charbon) in Tchirozerine (north of Agadez) HP G62-107SA Battery
extracts coal from an open pit and fuels an electricity generating plant that supplies energy to the uranium mines. There are additional coal deposits to the south and west that are of a higher quality and may be exploitable. HP G62-110ED Battery
Oil
Niger has oil potential. In 1992, the Djado permit was awarded to Hunt Oil Company, and in 2003 the Tenere permit was awarded to theChina National Petroleum. An ExxonMobil-Petronas joint venture was sold sole rights to the Agadem block, in the Diffa Region north ofLake Chad, but never went beyond exploration. HP G62-110EE Battery
In June 2008, the government transferred the Agadem block rights to CNPC. Niger announced that in exchange for the US$5 billion investment, the Chinese company would build wells, 11 of which would open by 2012, a 20,000-barrel-per-day (3,200 m3/d) refinery nearZinder and a pipeline out of the nation. HP G62-110EI Battery
The government estimates the area has reserves of 324 million barrels (51,500,000 m3), and is seeking further oil in the Tenere Desert and near Bilma. Niger has said that it hopes to produce its first barrels of oil for sale by 2009.[17] HP G62-110EO Battery
Growth rates
The economic competitiveness created by the January 1994 devaluation of the Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) franc contributed to an annual average economic growth of 3.5% throughout the mid-1990s. HP G62-110EY Battery
But the economy stagnated due to the sharp reduction in foreign aid in 1999 (which gradually resumed in 2000) and poor rains in 2000. Reflecting the importance of the agricultural sector, the return of good rains was the primary factor underlying economic growth of 5.1% in 2000, 3.1% in 2001, 6.0% in 2002, and 3.0% in 2003. HP G62-110SA Battery
In recent years, the Government of Niger drafted revisions to the investment code (1997 and 2000), petroleum code (1992), and mining code (1993), all with attractive terms for investors. The present government actively seeks foreign private investment and considers it key to restoring economic growth and development. HP G62-110SO Battery
With the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it has undertaken a concerted effort to revitalize the private sector.
Economic restructuring and debt
In January 2000, Niger's newly elected government inherited serious financial and economic problems including a virtually empty treasury, HP G62-110SS Battery
past-due salaries (11 months of arrears) and scholarship payments, increased debt, reduced revenue performance, and lower public investment. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF).[14] HP G62-110SW Battery
In addition to changes in the budgetary process and public finances, the new government has pursued economic restructuring towards the IMF promoted privatization model. This has included the privatization of water distribution and telecommunications and the removal of price protections for petroleum products, allowing prices to be set by world market prices. HP G62-111EE Battery
Further privatizations of public enterprises are in the works.
In its effort to comply with the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility plan, the government also is taking actions to reduce corruption and, as the result of a participatory process encompassing civil society, has devised a Poverty Reduction Strategy Planthat focuses on improving health, primary education, rural infrastructure, and judicial restructuring.[14] HP G62-112EE Battery
A long planned privitisation of the Nigerien power company, NIGELEC, failed in 2001 and again in 2003 due to inaudibility to line up buyers. SONITEL, the nation's telephone operator, hived of the post office and privatised in 2001, was renationalised in 2009.HP G62-112SO Battery
Critics have argued that the obligations to creditor institutions and governments have locked Niger in to a process of trade liberalization that is harmful for small farmers and in particular, rural women. HP G62-113SO Battery
Foreign aid
The most important donors in Niger are France, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF and other United Nations agencies (UNDP,UNICEF, FAO, WFP, and UNFPA). Other principal donors include the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. HP G62-100 Battery
While USAID does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $10 million each year to Niger's development.
The U.S. also is a major partner in policy coordination in such areas as food security and HIV/AIDS. HP G62-100EB Battery
The importance of external support for Niger's development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, derives from donor resources.[14] In 2005 the UN drew attention to the increased need for foreign aid given severe problems with drought and locusts resulting in the 2005–06 Niger food crisis, HP G62-100EE Battery
endangering the lives of around a million people.
2010 famine
In June to August 2010, famine struck the Sahel.[19] Niger's crops to failed to mature in the heat and famine developed. 350,000 faced starvation and 1,200,000 were at risk of famine.[20] HP G62-100EJ Battery
In Chad, the temperature reached 47.6 °C (118 °F) on 22 June in Faya-Largeau, breaking a record set in 1961 at the same location. Niger tied its highest temperature record set in 1998, on also 22 June, at 47.1 °C (117 °F) in Bilma. That record was broken the next day, on 23 June when Bilma hit 48.2 °C (119 °F). HP G62-100SL Battery
The hottest temperature recorded in Sudan was reached on 25 June, at 49.6 °C (121 °F) in Dongola, breaking a record set in 1987.[21] Niger reported diarrhoea, starvation, gastroenteritis, malnutrition and respiratory diseases killed and sickened many children 14 July. HP G62-101TU Battery
The new military junta is appealing for international food aid and has taken serious steps to calling overseas help since coming to office in February 2010.[22] On 26 July, the heat reached near record levels over Chad and Niger.[23] HP G62-101XX Battery
Demographics
Over half the population of Niger belong to the Hausa,[24] who also constitute the major ethnic group in northern Nigeria, and the Zarma-Songhai, who also are found in parts of Mali. Both groups, along with the Gourmantche, are sedentary farmers who live in the arable, southern tier of the country. HP G62-103XX Battery
The remainder of Nigeriens are nomadic or semi-nomadic livestock-raising peoples—Fulani, Tuareg, Kanuri, Arabs, and Toubou—who make up about 20% of Niger's population.[25] With rapidly growing populations and the consequent competition for meager natural resources, lifestyles of agriculturalists and livestock herders have come increasingly into conflict in Niger in recent years.[26] HP G62-104SA Battery
A Nigerien study has found that more than 800,000 people are enslaved, almost 8% of the population.[27][28][29]
Health
Niger's high infant mortality rate is comparable to levels recorded in neighboring countries. However, HP G62-105SA Battery
the child mortality rate (deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 4) is exceptionally high (248 per 1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children. According to the organization Save the Children, Niger has the world's highest infant mortality rate.[30] HP Pavilion G70 Battery
Nonetheless, Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world (7.2 births per woman); this means that nearly half (49%) of the Nigerien population is under age 15. There were 3 physicians and 22 nurses per 100,000 persons in 2004.
Education
Primary education in Niger is compulsory for six years. HP Pavilion G70-100 Battery
The primary school enrollment and attendance rates are low, particularly for girls.[31] In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 29.3 percent, and in 1996, the net primary enrollment rate was 24.5 percent.[31] About 60 percent of children who finish primary schools are boys, HP Pavilion G70-105EA Battery
as the majority of girls rarely attend school for more than a few years.[31] Children are often forced to work rather than attend school, particularly during planting or harvest periods.[31] In addition, nomadic children in the north of the country often do not have access to schools.[31] HP Pavilion G70-110EA Battery
Culture and religion
Nigerien culture is marked by variation, evidence of the cultural crossroads which French colonialism formed into a unified state from the beginning of the 20th century. What is now Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: HP Pavilion G70-110EM Battery
the Zarmadominated Niger River valley in the southwest; the northern periphery of Hausaland, made mostly of those states which had resisted the Sokoto Caliphate, and ranged along the long southern border with Nigeria; the Lake Chad basin and Kaouar in the far east, populated byKanuri farmers and Toubou pastoralists who had once been part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire; HP Pavilion G70-111EM Battery
and the Tuareg nomads of the Aïr Mountains and Saharan desert in the vast north.
Each of these communities, along with smaller ethnic groups like the pastoral Wodaabe Fula, brought their own cultural traditions to the new state of Niger. HP Pavilion G71 Battery
While successive post-independence governments have tried to forge a shared national culture, this has been slow forming, in part because the major Nigerien communities have their own cultural histories, and in part because Nigerien ethnic groups such as the Hausa, Tuareg and Kanuri are but part of larger ethnic communities which cross borders introduced under colonialism. HP Pavilion G71-100 CTO Battery
Until the 1990s, government and politics was inordinately dominated by Niamey and the Zarma people of the surrounding region. At the same time the plurality of the population, in the Hausa borderlands between Birni-N'Konni and Maine-Soroa, have often looked culturally more to Hausaland in Nigeria than Niamey. HP G72-200 Battery
Between 1996 and 2003, primary school attendance was around 30%,[32] including 36% of males and only 25% of females. Additional education occurs through madrassas.
Religion
Islam, spread from North Africa beginning in the 10th century, has greatly shaped the mores of the people of Niger. HP G72-250US Battery
Between 80 to more than 98% of the population is Muslim, with small Animist and Christian communities, the latter a consequence of missionaries established during the French colonial years, as well as urban expatriate communities from Europe and West Africa. HP G72-251XX Battery
Islam
Approximately 95% of Muslims in Niger are Sunni and Sufi;[33] 5% are Shi'a.[34] Islam was spread into what is now Niger beginning in the 15th century, by both the expansion of the Songhai Empire in the west, and the influence of the Trans-Saharan tradetraveling from the Maghreb and Egypt. HP G72-259WM Battery
Tuareg expansion from the north, culminating in their seizure of the far eastern oases from the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the 17th centuries, spread distinctively Berber practices.
Both Zarma and Hausa areas were greatly influenced by the 18th and 19th century Fula led Sufi brotherhoods, most notably the Sokoto Caliphate (in today's Nigeria). HP G72-260US Battery
Modern Muslim practice in Niger is often tied to the Tijaniya Sufibrotherhoods, although there are small minority groups tied to Hammallism and Nyassist Sufi orders in the west, and theSanusiya in the far northeast.[33]
A small center of Wahhabite followers have appeared in the last thirty years in the capital and in Maradi.[35] HP G72-A00 Battery
These small groups, linked to similar groups in Jos, Nigeria, came to public prominence in the 1990s during a series of religious riots[36][37][38]
Despite this, Niger maintains a tradition as a secular state, protected by law.[39] HP G72-A10SV Battery
Interfaith relations are deemed very good, and the forms of Islam traditionally practiced in most of the country is marked by tolerance of other faiths and lack of restrictions on personal freedom.[40]Divorce and polygyny are unremarkable, women are not secluded, and headcoverings are not mandatory — they are often a rarity in urban areas.[41HP G72-A20EM Battery
Alcohol, such as the locally produced Bière Niger, is sold openly in most of the country.
Animism
A small percentage of the population practices traditional indigenous religious beliefs.[34] The numbers of Animist practitioners are a point of contention. HP G72T-100 Battery
As recently as the late 19th century, much of the south centre of the nation was unreached by Islam, and the conversion of some rural areas has been only partial. There are still areas where animist based festivals and traditions (such as the Bori religion) are practiced by syncretic Muslim communities (in some Hausa areas as well as among some Toubou and Wodaabe pastoralists), HP G72T-200 CTO Battery
as opposed to several small communities who maintain their pre-Islamic religion.
These include the Hausa-speaking Maouri (or Azna, the Hausa word for "pagan") community in Dogondoutci in the south-southwest and the Kanuri speaking Manga near Zinder, both of whom practice variations of the pre-Islamic Hausa Maguzawa religion. HP G72-120SD Battery
There are also some tiny Boudouma and Songhay animist communities in the southwest.[33]
Media
Niger began developing diverse media in the late 1990s. Prior to the Third Republic, Nigeriens only had access to tightly controlled state media.[42] HP G72-120SG Battery
Now Niamey boasts scores of newspapers and magazines, some, like Le Sahel, are government operated, while many are critical of the government.[43][44] Radio is the most important medium, as television sets are beyond the buying power of many of the rural poor, and illiteracy prevents print media from becoming a mass medium.[45] HP G72-120SO Battery
In addition to the national and regional radio services of the state broadcaster ORTN, there are four privately owned radio networks which total more than 100 stations. Three of them — the Anfani Group, Sarounia and Tenere — are urban-based commercial-format FM networks in the major towns.[46] HP G72-130ED Battery
There is also a network of over 80 community radio stations spread across all seven regions of the country, governed by the Comité de Pilotage de Radios de Proximité (CPRP), a civil society organisation. The independent-sector radio networks are collectively estimated by CPRP officials to cover some 7.6 million people, or about 73% of the population (2005). HP G72-130EG Battery
Aside from Nigerien radio stations, the BBC's Hausa service is listened to on FM repeaters across wide parts of the country, particularly in the south, close to the border with Nigeria. Radio France Internationale also rebroadcasts in French through some of the commercial stations, via satellite. HP G72-130EV Battery
Tenere FM also runs a national independent television station of the same name.[46]
Despite relative freedom at the national level, Nigerien journalists say they are often pressured by local authorities.[47] The state ORTN network depends financially on the government, partly through a surcharge on electricity bills, and partly through direct subsidy. HP G72-130SA Battery
The sector is governed by the Conseil Supérieur de Communications, established as an independent body in the early 1990s, since 2007 headed by Daouda Diallo. International human rights groups have criticised government since at least 1996 as using regulation and police to punish criticism of the state. HP G72-130SB Battery
Continuity
Since the creation of the Fifth Republic in 1999, the political rivalries and parties of the Third Republic have maintained their central role in national politics. There continue to be three large parties, and several smaller ones, HP G72-130SF Battery
with no single party gaining a majority in the National Assembly of Niger. In the Third Republic a coalition of the CDS and PNDS was formed with many small parties, in part to keep the former military party of the MNSD out of power.[1] This coalition collapsed in recriminations in 1995, leading to a PNDS and MNSD government facing a CDS President. HP G72-140ED Battery
The bad blood and gridlock which resulted was one of the reasons given for General Maïnassara's 1996 Nigerien coup d'etat.[2]
The same three men who dominated the parties in the Third Republic returned in 1999: Mamadou Tanja for the MNSD-Nassara, Mahamadou Issoufou of the PNDS, and Mahamane Ousmane of CDS-Rahama. HP G72-150EF Battery
1999 elections
Following another coup in April 1999, in which Maïnassara was killed, the MNSD-Nassara's Tandja won the October 1999 presidential election.[3]
In the October 1999 National Assembly Election, the MNSD won 38 of the 83 seats, forming a government under Hama Amadou with the support of CDS-Rahama's 17 seats. HP G72-150EG Battery
The PNDS led the opposition with 16 seats, but the continued antagonism between Mahamadou Issoufou and Mahamane Ousmane meant that no other coalition was available.ANDP-Zaman Lahiya, a former split for the MNSD held only four seats.[3] In 2002, this coalition was shored up when the ANDP joined the parliamentary majority coalition, HP G72-150SF Battery
the Alliance of Democratic Forces, leaving the opposition Coordination of Democratic Forces.[4] Djermakoye joined the government as a Minister of State in November 2002, serving in that position until December 2004.[5]
2004 elections
While Tandja easily retained the presidency against a second round challenge by Mahamadou Issoufou, the 2004 National Assembly elections were closer. HP G72-110SD Battery
The PNDS formed a coalition to contest the expanded 113 seats of the National Assembly, which also included the UNI (2 seats), the PPN (2), and the PNA-Al'ouma (4). With the PNDS' 17 seats this coalition took 25 seats. The MNSD remained the largest party at 47 seats, be relied again on CDS-Rahama's 22 seats to govern. HP G72-110SO Battery
A minor portfolios in the Council of Ministers were given to two smaller parties as well, the RDP-Jama'a (6 seats) and ANDP-Zaman Lahiya (5 seats). RSD-Gaskiya (7 seats) and PSDN-Alheri (1 seat) remained aloof of both blocs.[6] HP G72-110SW Battery
2007 PM crisis
In December 2004 Hama Amadou was again chosen as Prime Minister. Mahamane Ousmane, the head of the CDS, was re-elected President of the National Assembly. The new second term government of the Fifth Republic took office on 30 December 2004. HP G72-120EB Battery
In June 2007, a no confidence vote against the government led to the fall of the Prime Minister Hama Amadou and his ministers. Amadou was replaced by Seyni Oumarou, also of the president's MNSD-Nassara party, leading to infighting within a portion of the party still loyal to Amadou.[7] HP G72-120EG Battery
Broad changes were made to the Council of Ministers of Niger, with MNSD-Nassara continuing to take the majority of portfolios, but with the CDS, RDP-Jama'a, and NDP-Zaman Lahiya retaining Ministerial appointments.
Tazartché
In the run up to the 2009 elections (Presidential, Assembly, and Municipal), HP G72-120EP Battery
a movement to draft President Tandja for a third term appeared. Led by public figures of the MNSD outside government, the group took the name of Tandja's 2004 re-election slogan, Tazartché: a Hausa word meaning "Continuity". Through several well funded and well attended public rallies in late 2008, HP G72-120EV Battery
the President remained silent on the calls for him to remain.[8] The 1999 constitution made the serving of more than two term impossible (article 36), and the revision of that article illegal by any means (article 136). HP G72-120EW Battery
The Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou reiterated on 22 January that all scheduled elections would go ahead before the end of 2009.[9] In March, during his meetings with French President Sarkozy, Tandja explicitly stated that he would not seek a third term.[10] HP G72-120SB Battery
Then, in early May 2009, when questioned by the press on his visit to Agadez to begin peace talks with Tuareg rebels, Tandja announced that "the people have demanded I remain."[11] His spokesman then outlined a plan in which a referendum could be held in mid 2009, not to amend the 1999 constitution, HP G72-100 Battery
but to scrap it and begin work on a constitution of the Sixth Republic of Niger, which would contain no term limits for the President, and create a fully Presidential republic.[12] [13] [14] [15]
On 15 May 2009, in response to their parties opposition to a proposed referendum to allow the President to seek a third term, HP G72-101SA Battery
the three members of RDP-Jama'a andANDP-Zaman Lahiya were replaced with ministers drawn from the MNSD-Nassara. With the continued support of the CDS, the MNSD maintained a working majority of 67 seats in the 113 seat National Assembly.[16] HP G72-102SA Battery
According to the 1999 Constitution of Niger, the President may call a referendum on any matter (except for a revision of those elements of the Constitution outlined in Article 136—including the presidential term limits). The Constitutional Court of Niger and the National Assembly of Niger must advise the president, but there is no provision that the president must heed their advice. HP G72-105SA Battery
On 25 May 2009, the Constitutional Court, made up of appointed judges, released a ruling that any referendum to create a new constitution would be unconstitutional, and further would be a violation of the oath the president had taken on the Koran (a serious matter in this overwhelmingly Muslim country).[17][18HP G72-110EL Battery
] The week prior, two major parties had come out in their opposition to the referendum proposal as well. On 13 May, the ANDP-Zaman Lahiya, led by former MNSD number two Djermokoye declared its opposition to any change in the constitution. HP G72-110EV Battery
On 15 May the CDS-Rahama, the party without which the MNSD could not have formed governments in 1999, 2004, and 2007, came out opposing the referendum, and calling the constitution unalterable.[19][20] Neither party moved into the opposition, and both Ousmane and Djermokoye said they were willing to negotiate with the president.[21] HP G72-110SA Battery
On 26 March, within hours of the Constitutional courts statement, official media read out a statement that President Tandja had dissolved the National Assembly.[22]Under the 1999 Constitution he is allowed to do once every two years,[23] but he must call parliamentary elections with three months. HP Pavilion G60-243CL Battery
This would mean the government of Niger would carry out scheduled parliamentary elections in September, two months early, and a referendum on a new constitution before Presidential elections which can take place no later than December, assuming the 1999 constitution is in effect. HP Pavilion G60-243DX Battery
2010 Coup
On February 19 a group calling itself the Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) stormed the presidential palace during a meeting and took the president Mamadou Tandja hostage. HP Pavilion G60-244DX Battery
Colonel Goukoye Abdul Karimou, spokesman for CSRD announced on state television that the country's constitution had been suspended and all state institutions dissolved. It is believed that the president is being held in a garrison in the capital city with his resignation being sought. HP Pavilion G60-247CL Battery
The economy of Niger is based largely upon internal markets, subsistence agriculture, and the export of raw commodities: food stuffs to neighbors and raw minerals to world markets. Niger, is a landlocked Sub-Sahara African nation, and over the past two decades has consistently been ranked near or at the bottom of worldwide indexes of theHuman development index, HP Pavilion G60-249CA Battery
GDP, and percapita income. Economic activity centres on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, re-export trade, and export of uranium. The 50% devaluation of the West African CFA franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. HP Pavilion G60-249WM Battery
Exports of cattle to neighboring Nigeria, as well as Groundnuts and their oil remain the primary non-mineral exports. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which was suspended briefly following coup d'états in 1996 and 1999 - for operating expenses and public investment. HP Pavilion G60-300 CTO Battery
Short-term prospects depend continued World Bank and IMF debt relief and extended aid. The post 1999 government has broadly adhered to privatisation and market deregulation plans instituted by these funders. HP Pavilion G60-304CA Battery
Niger's economy is based largely on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits.Drought cycles, desertification, a 3.4% population growth rate and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut an already marginal economy. HP Pavilion G60-324CA Battery
Traditional subsistence farming, herding, small trading, and informal markets dominate an economy that generates few formal sector jobs. Between 1988 and 1995 28% to 30% of the total economy of Niger was in the unregulated Informal sector, including small and even large scale rural and urban production, transport and services.[4] HP Pavilion G60-348CA Battery
GDP per capita
Current GDP per capita[5] of Niger grew 10% in the Sixties reaching a peak growth of 187% in the Seventies. But this proved unsustainable and it consequently shrank by 27% in the Eighties and a further 48% in the Nineties. HP Pavilion G60-400 CTO Battery
Much of this GDP is explained through the exploitation of uranium at Arlit in the far north of the country. Ore is partially processed on site by foreign mining corporations and transported by truck to Benin. Fluctuation of GDP can be mapped to changes in international uranium price, as well as price negations with the main mining company, France's Areva NC. HP Pavilion G60-441US Battery
Price rises in the mid 1970s were followed by a collapse in the market price through much of the 1980s and 1990s. Thus the GDP per capita has little direct impact on the average Nigerien, although uranium funds much government operation. The 2006 Human Development Index ranked Niger sixth from worst in the world, with a HDI of 0.370: 174 of 179nations.[6] HP Pavilion G60-442OM Battery
Agriculture
Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 18% of the population. Fourteen percent of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production (camels, goats, sheep and cattle), said to support 29% of the population. HP Pavilion G60-445DX Battery
The 15% of Niger's land that is arable is found mainly along its southern border with Nigeria. Rainfall varies and when insufficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and food aid to meet food requirements. Although the rains in 2000 were not good, those in 2001 were plentiful and well distributed. HP Pavilion G60T-200 CTO Battery
Pearl millet, sorghum, and cassava are Niger's principal rain-fed subsistence crops. Irrigated rice for internal consumption, while expensive, has, since the devaluation of the CFA franc, sold for below the price of imported rice, encouraging additional production. HP Pavilion G61 Battery
Cowpeas and onions are grown for commercial export, as are small quantities of garlic, peppers, potatoes, and wheat. Groundnuts, and to a lesser degree Cotton, introduced by former colonial power France in in the 1930s and 1950s respectively, account for most of the world market for Nigerienindustrial agriculture. HP Pavilion G60-216EM Battery
Prior to the mass exploitation of uranium in the early 1970s, groundnut oil was the largest Nigerien export by worth.[8]
The majority of Niger's population are rural residents engaged in agriculture, mostly in the south centre and south west of the nation. HP Pavilion G60-217EM Battery
While these people are dependent on the agricultural market portions of their production and consumption, much of Nigerien farming is subsistence agricultureoutside of the marketplace.[8]
External trade and investment
Of Niger's exports, foreign exchange earnings from livestock, although impossible to quantify, are second only to those from uranium. HP Pavilion G60-219CA Battery
Actual exports far exceed official statistics, which often fail to detect large herds of animals informally crossing into Nigeria. Some hides and skins are exported and some are transformed into handicrafts.
Mining
The persistent uranium price slump has brought lower revenues for Niger's uranium sector, although uranium still provides 72% of national export proceeds. HP Pavilion G60-225CA Battery
The nation enjoyed substantial export earnings and rapid economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s after the opening of two large uranium mines near the northern town of Arlit. When the uranium-led boom ended in the early 1980s, however, the economy stagnated and new investment since then has been limited. HP Pavilion G60-228CA Battery
Niger's two uranium mines (SOMAIR's open pit mine and COMINAK's underground mine) are owned by a French-led consortium and operated by French interests.
Exploitable deposits of gold are known to exist in Niger in the region between the Niger River and the border with Burkina Faso.HP Pavilion G60-230CA Battery
Substantial deposits of phosphates, coal, iron, limestone, and gypsum also have been found. Numerous foreign companies, including American firms, have taken out exploration licenses for concessions in the gold seam in western Niger, which also contains deposits of other minerals. HP Pavilion G60-230US Battery
Several oil companies explored for petroleum since 1992 in the Djado plateau in north-eastern Niger and the Agadem basin, north of Lake Chad but made no discoveries worth developing at the time. In June 2007, however, China National Petroleum Corporation(state-owned by the People's Republic of China) signed a US$5 billion agreement to extract oil in the Agadem block,HP Pavilion G60-231WM Battery
as well as build a 20,000 barrels (3,200 m3) per day oil refinery and a 2,000 km oil pipeline in the country; production is expected to start in 2009.[9]
Niger's known coal reserves, with low energy and high ash content, cannot compete against higher quality coal on the world market. HP Pavilion G60-233CA Battery
However, the parastatal SONICHAR (Société nigérienne de charbon) in Tchirozerine (north of Agadez) extracts coal from an open pit and fuels an electricity generating plant that supplies energy to the uranium mines. HP Pavilion G60-233NR Battery
Economic growth
After the economic competitiveness created by the January 1994 CFA franc devaluation contributed to an annual average economic growth of 3.5% throughout the mid-1990s, the economy stagnated due the sharp reduction in foreign aid in 1999, which gradually resumed in 2000, and poor rains in 2000. HP Pavilion G60-234CA Battery
Reflecting the importance of the agricultural sector, the return of good rains was the primary factor underlying a projected growth of 4.5% for 2001.
Foreign investment
In recent years, the Government of Niger promulgated revisions to the investment code (1997 and 2000), petroleum code (1992), and mining code (1993), all with attractive terms for investors. HP Pavilion G60-235CA Battery
The present government actively seeks foreign private investment and considers it key to restoring economic growth and development. With the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), it has undertaken a concerted effort to revitalize the private sector. HP Pavilion G60-235DX Battery
Currency
Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with six other members of the West African Monetary Union. HP Pavilion G60-235WM Battery
The Treasury of the Government of France supplements the BCEAO's international reserves in order to maintain a fixed rate of 100 CFA (Communauté financière africaine) to the French franc (to the euro as of January 1, 2002). HP Pavilion G60-236US Battery
Government restructuring
In January 2000, Niger's newly elected government inherited serious financial and economic problems including a virtually empty treasury, past-due salaries (11 months of arrears) and scholarship payments, increased debt, reduced revenue performance, and lower public investment. HP Pavilion G60-237NR Battery
In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). HP Pavilion G60-237US Battery
In addition to changes in the budgetary process and public finances, the new government has pursued economic restructuring towards the IMF promoted privatizationmodel. This has included the privatization of water distribution and telecommunications and the removal of price protections for petroleum products, allowing prices to be set by world market prices. HP Pavilion G60-238CA Battery
Further privatizations of public enterprises are in the works. In its effort comply with the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility plan, the government also is taking actions to reduce corruption and, as the result of a participatory process encompassing civil society, HP Pavilion G60-125CA Battery
has devised aPoverty Reduction Strategy Plan that focuses on improving health, primary education, rural infrastructure, and judicial restructuring.
Foreign Aid
The most important donors in Niger are France, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF and other United Nations agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, and UNFPA). HP Pavilion G60-125NR Battery
Other principal donors include the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. While USAID does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $10 million each year to Niger’s development. The U.S. also is a major partner in policy coordination in such areas as food security and HIV/AIDS. HP Pavilion G60-126CA Battery
The importance of external support for Niger's development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, derives from donor resources. In 2005 the UN drew attention to the increased need for foreign aid given severe problems withdrought and locusts resulting in a famine endangering the lives around a million people. HP Pavilion G60-127CL Battery
Agriculture is the primary economic activity of a majority of Niger's 13 million citizens.
The agricultural economy is based largely upon internal markets, subsistence agriculture, and the export of raw commodities: food stuffs and cattle to neighbors. Niger, a landlocked Sub-Sahara African nation, HP Pavilion G60-127NR Battery
and over the past two decades has consistently been ranked near or at the bottom of worldwide indexes of the Human development index, GDP, and percapita income. Economic activity centres on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, re-export trade, and export of uranium. HP Pavilion G60-128CA Battery
The 50% devaluation of the West African CFA franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. Exports of cattle to neighboring Nigeria, as well asGroundnuts and their oil remain the primary non-mineral exports. HP Pavilion G60-146CA Battery
Niger's economy is based largely on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles,desertification, a 3.4% population growth rate and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut an already marginal economy.[2] HP Pavilion G60-200 Battery
Traditional subsistence farming, herding, small trading, and informal markets dominate an economy that generates few formal sector jobs. Between 1988 and 1995 28% to 30% of the total economy of Niger was in the unregulated Informal sector, including small and even large scale rural and urban production, transport and services.[3] HP Pavilion G60-201TU Battery
Current GDP per capita is very low by world standards, in part explained through the involvement of a majority of the population in very small scale agriculture, which generates little monetary exchange.[4] HP Pavilion G60-202TU Battery
Geography
A majority of Niger's population rural residents engaged in crop tending are clustered in the south centre and south west of the nation, in those areas (the Sahel) which can expect to receive between 300mm to 600mm of rainfall annually. HP Pavilion G60-203TU Battery
A small area in the southern tip of the nation, surrounding Gaya can expect to receive 700mm to 900mm or rainfall. Northern areas which support crops, such as the southern portions of the Aïr Massif and the Kaouar oasis rely upon oases and a slight increase in rainfall due to mountain effects. HP Pavilion G60-208CA Battery
Large portions of the northwest and far east of the nation, while within the Sahara desert, see just enough seasonal rainfall to support semi-nomadic animal husbandry. The populations of these areas, mostly Tuareg, Wodaabe - Fula, and Toubou, practise Transhumance: HP Pavilion G60-213EM Battery
traveling south to pasture and sell animals in the dry season, north into the Sahara in the brief rainy season, while maintaining settled communities along these routes.
Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 18% of the population.[2] HP Pavilion G60-214EM Battery
Fourteen percent of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production (camels, goats, sheep and cattle), said to support 29% of the population. Thus 53% of the population is actively involved in crop production.[2] The 15% of Niger's land that is arable is found mainly along its southern border with Nigeria. HP Pavilion G60-215EM Battery
Pearl millet, sorghum, and cassava are Niger's principal rain-fed subsistence crops. Irrigated rice for internal consumption, while expensive, has, since the devaluation of the CFA franc, sold for below the price of imported rice, encouraging additional production. HP Pavilion G60-117US Battery
Cowpeas and onions are grown for commercial export, as are small quantities of garlic, peppers, potatoes, and wheat.[2]
Drought and environmental degradation
Rainfall varies and when insufficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and food aid to meet food requirements[2]. HP Pavilion G60-118EM Battery
Rains, as in much of the Sahel, have been marked by annual variability. This has been especially true in the 20th century, with the most severe drought on record beginning in the late 1960s and lasting, with one break, well into the 1980s. HP Pavilion G60-118NR Battery
The long term effect of this, especially to pastoralist populations remains in the 21st century, with those communities which rely upon cattle, sheep, and camels husbandry losing entire herds more than once during this period. Recent rains remain variable. For instance, the rains in 2000 were not good, those in 2001 were plentiful and well distributed. HP Pavilion G60-119EA Battery
Food shortfalls have also been caused by other factors. Market prices driven up by drought and a plague of desert locust in 2005-2006 causeda major food crisis in parts of the nation.
Shortage of good farmland has led to a number of innovations to farm marginal, often laterite soils and soil degraded by overfarming, HP Pavilion G60-119EM Battery
wind,desertification, and drought. Women in particular are often given poor plots of land (in inherited sections known as "Gamana") to garden, and have developed specific crops for poor soil and water conditions. HP Pavilion G60-119OM Battery
These include the fruit of the Ziziphus mauritania tree ("Indian Jujube", known locally as "Pomme du Sahel" or Sahel Apple) and the leaves and nuts of the Moringa stenopetala. Farmers use specialty water conservation techniques, "water microcatchments" or planting pits known as zai holes, HP Pavilion G60-120CA Battery
planting of crops among certain trees, planting in raised beds, drip irrigation, and usage of water collected in the natural stone bottomed low areas common in the south east of the nation.[6]
Market effects
While Nigerien farmers are often dependent on the agricultural market for portions of their production and consumption, HP Pavilion G60-120EM Battery
much of Nigerien farming is subsistence agriculture outside the marketplace.[5] The 2006 Human Development Index ranked Niger sixth from worst in the world, with a HDI of 0.370: 174 of 179 nations.[7] HP Pavilion G60-120US Battery
Groundnuts, and to a lesser degree Cotton, introduced by former colonial power France in the 1930s and 1950s respectively, account for most of the world market for Nigerien industrial agriculture. Prior to the mass exploitation of uranium in the early 1970s, groundnut oil was the largest Nigerien export by worth.[5] HP Pavilion G60-121CA Battery
External trade and investment in agriculture
Of Niger's exports, foreign exchange earnings from livestock, although difficult to quantify, are second only to those from uranium. Actual exports far exceed official statistics, which often fail to detect large herds of animals informally crossing into Nigeria. HP Pavilion G60-121WM Battery
Some hides and skins are exported and some are transformed into handicrafts.[2] Hausa areas in the south center of the nation are especially known for their leather industries. Zinder and Maradi are two foci of leatherwork and trade. HP Pavilion G60-123CL Battery,HP Pavilion G60-123NR Battery, HP Pavilion G60-117EM Battery
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