U.S. Department of State
Background Notes: Niger, July 1994
Bureau of African Affairs


Prepared and released by the Bureau of African Affairs,
Office of West African Affairs

July 1994
Official Name: Republic of Niger

PROFILE

Geography

Area: 1,267,000 sq. km. (490,000 sq. mi.); about three times the size of 
California.
Cities: Capital--Niamey (pop. approx. 500,000). Other cities--Tahoua, 
Maradi, Zinder, Arlit, and Agadez.
Terrain: About two-thirds desert and mountains, one-third savanna.
Climate: Hot, dry, and dusty. Rainy season June-September.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Nigerien(s).
Population (1993 est.): 8.6 million.
Annual growth rate (1992): 3.5%.
Ethnic groups: Hausa 53%, Djerma-Songhai 21%, Fulani 10%, Tuareg 
10%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.4%; Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 
1.6%.
Religions: Islam (98%); remainder traditional and Christian.
Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma.
Education: Years compulsory--6, attendance--19%, literacy--12.5%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (1992)--123/1,000. Life expectancy--44 
yrs.
Work force (3.5 million): Self-employed/work for family (primarily 
agriculture and herding)--90%;
employed by private sector--8%; government--2%.

Government

Type: Republic.
Independence: August 3, 1960.
Constitution: Approved by referendum December 26, 1992.
Branches: Executive--president and prime minister.  Legislative--
unicameral national assembly (83 MP's). Judicial--Court of Appeals, 
Supreme Court, High Court of Justice, and Court of State Security.
Political parties: 18; 9 are represented in the National Assembly.
Suffrage: The 1992 constitution provides for universal suffrage for 
Nigeriens age 18 or older.
Administrative subdivisions: Eight departments subdivided into 36 
districts (arrondissements).
Central government budget (Post devaluation adjustment of FY 1993): 
$291.4 million (167.6 billion CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) 
francs at 575 CFA=US$1).
Investment budget (capital and development expenditures)--$190 
million.
Current Operations (personnel wages plus material and transport)--
$141 million.
Flag: Three horizontal bands--orange, white, and green from top to 
bottom--with orange orb representing the sun centered on white band.

Economy

All figures pre-devaluation.

GDP (1993): $2.3 billion.
Annual growth rate (1990-91): 1.9%.
Per capita GDP (1993): $285.
Avg. inflation rate (1993): less than 0.4%. (Figure for the first 2 
months after devaluation is 6-8% per month).
Natural resources: Uranium, gold, oil, coal, iron, tin, phosphates.
Agriculture (20% of GDP): Products--millet, sorghum, cowpeas, 
peanuts, cotton, rice.
Industry (1% of GDP): Types--textiles, cement, soap, beverages.
Trade (1993 est.): Exports (Freight on Board (FOB))--$235.5 million: 
uranium, livestock, cowpeas, onions. Major markets--France, other EC 
countries, Nigeria. Imports (FOB) -- $241.4 million: petroleum, 
foodstuffs, industrial products. Major suppliers--France, other EC 
countries, Nigeria.
Official exchange rate (April 1994): 575 CFA francs=US$1.

Membership in International Organizations

UN and some of its specialized and related agencies, Council of the 
Entente, West African Economic Community (CEAO), West African 
Monetary Union (UMOA), Liptako-Gourma Authority, Niger River 
Basin Commission, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Organization of 
African Unity (OAU), Economic Organization of West African States 
(ECOWAS), Organization of the Islamic Conference, Nonaligned 
Movement.

PEOPLE

The largest ethnic groups in Niger are the Hausa, who also constitute 
the major ethnic group in northern Nigeria, and the Djerma-Songhai, 
who are also found in parts of Mali. Both groups are sedentary farmers 
who live in the arable, southern tier. The remainder of the Nigerien 
people are nomadic or seminomadic livestock-raising peoples--Fulani, 
Tuareg, Kanouri, and Toubou. With rapidly growing populations and 
the consequent competition for meager natural resources, lifestyles of 
these two types of peoples have come increasingly into conflict in 
Niger in recent years.

Niger's high infant mortality rate is comparable to levels recorded in 
neighboring countries. However, the child mortality rate (deaths among 
children between the ages of 1 and 4) is exceptionally high (222 per 
1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition 
for most of the country's children. Niger's very high fertility rate 
(7.4%) nonetheless means that nearly half (49%) of the Nigerien 
population is under age 15. School attendance is very low (19%), 
including 23% of males and only 15% of females. Additional education 
occurs through Koranic schools.

HISTORY

Considerable evidence indicates that about 600,000 years  ago, humans 
inhabited what has since become the desolate Sahara of northern Niger. 
Long before the arrival of French influence and control in the area, 
Niger was an important economic crossroads, and the empires of 
Songhai, Mali, Gao, Kanem, and Bornu, as well as a number of Hausa 
states, claimed control over portions of the area.

During recent centuries, the nomadic Tuareg formed large 
confederations, pushed southward, and, siding with various Hausa 
states, clashed with the Fulani Empire of Sokoto, which had gained 
control of much of the Hausa territory in the late 18th century.

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 mouth of the Niger 
River. Although French efforts at pacification began before 1900, 
dissident ethnic groups, especially the desert Tuareg, were not subdued 
until 1922, when Niger became a French colony.

Niger's colonial history and development parallel that of other French 
West African territories. France administered her West African 
colonies through a governor general at Dakar, Senegal, and governors 
in the individual territories, including Niger. 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.

A further revision in the organization of overseas territories occurred 
with the passage of the Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre) of July 23, 
1956, followed by reorganizational measures enacted by the French 
Parliament early in 1957. 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 December 4, 1958, 
Niger became an autonomous state within the French Community. 
Following full independence on August 3, 1960, however, membership 
was allowed to lapse.

For its first 14 years as an independent state, Niger was run by a single-
party civilian regime under the presidency of Hamani Diori. In 1974, a 
combination of devastating drought and accusations of rampant 
corruption resulted in a military coup which overthrew the Diori 
regime. Col. Seyni Kountche and a small group of military ruled the 
country until Kountche's death in 1987. He was succeeded by his Chief 
of Staff, Col. Ali Saibou, who released political prisoners, liberalized 
some of Niger's laws and policies, and promulgated a new constitution. 
However, President Saibou's efforts to control political reforms failed 
in the face of union and student demands to institute a multi-party 
democratic system. The Saibou regime acquiesced to these demands by 
the end of 1990. New political parties and civic associations sprang up 
and a National 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. A transition government was installed in November 1991 
to manage the affairs of state until the institutions of the Third Republic 
were put in place in April 1993.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS 

Niger's new constitution was approved in December 1992. It provides 
for a semi-presidential system of government in which executive power 
is shared by the president of the republic, elected  by universal suffrage 
for a five-year term, and a prime minister named by the president. The 
unicameral legislature is comprised of 83 deputies elected for a five-
year term under a proportional system of representation.

Niger's independent judicial system is composed of four higher courts--
the court of appeals, the supreme court, the high court of justice and the 
court of state security.

The country is divided into 8 departments, which are subdivided into 
36 districts (arrondissements). The chief administrator (prefet) in each 
territorial unit is appointed by the government and functions primarily 
as the local agent of the central authorities. The 1992 constitution 
provides for the popular election of municipal and local officials.

Niger's 1991 National Conference allowed political voices that had 
been silenced for years to express themselves freely and publicly. The 
debate was often contentious and accusatory, but under the leadership 
of Professor Andre Salifou, the conference developed consensus on the 
modalities of a transition government. It established three 
governmental organs to run the country during a 15-month period. The 
government's primary tasks were to stabilize the economy, deal with a 
growing rebellion by Tuareg rebels, and pave the way for multi-party 
elections. 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 three 
nationwide elections, all of which were free, fair and non-violent. 
Freedom of the press flourished with the appearance of several new 
independent newspapers.

The first multi-party legislature since independence, containing nine 
political parties, was elected on February 14, and installed on April 9. 
Mahamane Ousmane was elected President of the Republic on March 
27, 1993, and took the oath of office on April 16. On the eve of the 
establishment of the Third Republic, Northern-based rebels of the 
FLAA (Front for the Liberation of Air and Azawak) released their 
hostages and gave renewed hope that a peaceful settlement could be 
reached with the new authorities. Since then, rebel factions have agreed 
to a number of cease-fires, but talks between the Government and 
various rebel factions have stalled. 

Principal Government Officials

President and Chief of State--Mahamane Ousmane
Prime Minister--Mamadou Issoufou
President of the National Assembly--Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Abdramane Hama
Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations--Adamou 
Seydou

Niger maintains an embassy in the United States at 2204 R Street, NW, 
Washington, D.C. 20008 (tel. 202-483-4224/25/26/27) and a 
permanent mission to the United Nations at 417 East 50th Street, New
York, NY 10022 (tel. (212-421-3260).

ECONOMY

One of the poorest countries in the world, Niger's economy is based 
largely on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest 
uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 3.3 percent 
population growth rate and the declining world demand for uranium 
have undercut an already marginal economy. Deteriorating terms of 
trade due to persistently high domestic wage levels and currency 
devaluations in Nigeria have also contributed to economic decline. 
Many of the modern sector's private and parastatal industries have shut 
down, leaving only a handful of companies engaged in light industry 
that mostly transform imported inputs (textile manufacturing, 
corrugating steel sheets, drink bottling, soap production). The northern-
based Tuareg rebellion has impacted negatively on tourism since early 
1992.

Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 10-
15 percent of the population. 12-13 percent of Niger's GDP is 
generated by livestock production (camels, goats, sheep and cattle), 
said to support 29 percent of the population. Only about 12 percent of 
land is arable. Rainfall varies, though Niger has seen relatively good 
rains in recent years. When there is not sufficient rainfall, Niger has 
difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and 
food aid to meet food requirements. Rains, which were good in 1990 
and 1991, were less well-distributed in 1992 and 1993, creating food 
deficits in certain regions. 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. Cowpeas and onions are grown for commercial export, as 
are small quantities of garlic, peppers, potatoes and wheat. 

Of Niger's exports, foreign exchange earnings from livestock, although 
impossible 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. Some hides and 
skins are exported and some are transformed into handicrafts.

The persistent uranium price slump has brought lower revenues for 
Niger's uranium sector, although uranium still provides 68 percent of 
national export proceeds. Industry officials have been working to 
reduce excessive costs of production, including personnel, electricity, 
transportation, hospital administration, mining town management fees 
and debt. Niger's two uranium mines (SOMAIR's open pit mine and 
COMINAK's underground mine) are primarily owned and operated by 
French interests. COMINAK is partially by other shareholders 
including Japan, Germany, Spain and Niger, all of which negotiate to 
purchase and sell certain quantities of uranium. In recent years, only 
France and Germany have contracted to sell  uranium. American 
participation in Niger's uranium industry ended in 1983, when 
CONOCO gave its shares in the Imouraren concession back to Niger. 
Large reserves of low-grade uranium at Imouraren remain untapped 
due to the depressed state of the global uranium market. 

Hunt Oil of Texas began exploring for petroleum in 1992 in the Djado 
plateau in northeastern Niger. The French company Elf Aquitaine (62.5 
percent) and Exxon (37.5 percent) have a joint exploration permit for 
the Agadem basin, north of Lake Chad. Elf conducts the actual 
exploration and has found significant quantities of petroleum to justify 
further exploration and development.

Exploitable deposits of gold are known to exist in Niger in the region 
between the Niger River and the border with Burkina Faso. The 
government of Niger recently adopted a new Mining Code and hopes 
to obtain commitments soon from interested foreign investors. Niger's 
known coal reserves, with low energy and high ash content, cannot 
compete against higher quality coal on the world market. However, the 
parastatal SONICHAR (Societe Nigerienne 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. Parastatal tin production stopped in 1991 and tin is currently 
produced at artisanal levels. 

While France and Taiwan provided significant budgetary assistance in 
1992, Niger accrued lower total assistance in 1991-1992 from its other 
major donors, which include the United States, Germany, Canada, 
Saudi Arabia, the European Community and the UN Development 
Program (UNDP). In early 1994, the IMF and Niger agreed to a stand-
by agreement which ended Niger's isolation from the international 
financial community. 

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. The Treasury 
of the Government of France supplements the BCEAO's international 
reserves in order to maintain a fixed rate of 100 CFA (Communaute 
Financiere Africaine) to the French franc. 

Economic Reform

In 1993, Niger's newly elected government inherited a tangle of 
financial and economic problems including: past-due salary and 
scholarship payments (5 months of arrears), increased debt, reduced 
revenue performance, and lower public investment. The CFA franc was 
devalued in January 1994, doubling Niger's external debt (quantified in 
dollars) overnight. The rectification of exchange rates should increase 
demand for Nigerien exports and create a larger domestic market.

The government of Niger is also currently taking actions to streamline 
civil services, reduce corruption, reorient expenditures in the education 
sector, and enhance revenues. In February 1994, Niger signed a stand 
by agreement with the IMF. They are currently negotiating for an 
Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility.

Foreign Aid

The United States was the third largest bilateral donor to Niger and the 
fourth largest donor overall. Total U.S. aid in averages around $15 
million per year though this figure is expected to increase. Other major 
donors include: France, Germany, The World Bank, The European 
Economic Community, and The United Nations. The importance of 
donor activity in Niger's development plans is best demonstrated by the 
fact that about 97 percent of the GON's investment budget derives from 
donor resources.

Niger's 1993 elections were smooth and successful, in part due to the 
donors' 56 percent contribution (25 percent of the total from the 
French) to the election budget. 

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly 
relations with both East and West. It belongs to the United Nations and 
its main specialized agencies and in 1980-81 served on the UN 
Security Council. Niger maintains a special relationship with France 
and enjoys close relations with its West African neighbors. It is a 
charter member of the Organization of African Unity and the West 
African Monetary Union and also belongs to the Niger River and Lake 
Chad Basin Commissions, the Economic Community of West African 
States, the Nonaligned Movement, and the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference.

DEFENSE

The Niger Armed Forces total 3,500 personnel, in addition to 1,500 
national gendarmes and 1,500 members of the Garde Republicaine. 
The air force has four operational transport aircraft, including two C-
130s. The armed forces include a general staff, two paratroop 
companies, two light armored squadrons, and six motorized infantry 
companies located in Tahoua, Agadez, Dirkou, Zinder, N'Guigmi, and 
N'Gourti.

Niger's defense budget is modest, accounting for less than 3% of 
government expenditures. France provides the largest share of military 
assistance to Niger: approximately 55 French military advisers are in 
Niger, many Nigerien military personnel receive  training in France, 
and the Nigerien Armed Forces are equipped mainly with materiel 
either given by or purchased in France. Germany provides general 
engineering assistance. U.S. assistance has 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 and a U.S. 
Defense Attache office opened in June 1985. In 1987 the attache office 
was converted to a Security Assistance Office.

U.S.-NIGERIEN RELATIONS

U.S. relations with Niger have been close and friendly since Niger 
attained independence. A substantial U.S. Agency for International 
Development (AID) program focuses on agriculture and natural 
resource management as well as demography and family health. The 
U.S. Peace Corps program, started in Niger in 1962, has about 106 
volunteers.

Principal U.S. Officials

Ambassador--John S. Davison
Deputy Chief of Mission--Ravic R. Huso
Director, AID Mission--James Anderson
Economic/Commercial Officer--James Stewart
Consular Officer--James Stewart
Director, Joint Administrative Office--James Stitt
Public Affairs Officer (USIS)--Shirley Stanton
Peace Corps Director--Vacant
Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation - Major Stefan Arredondo

The U.S. Embassy in Niger is located on the Avenue des 
Ambassadeurs. The telephone numbers for the Embassy are (227) 72-
26-61 through 65 and the fax number is (227) 73-31-67. The mailing 
address is B.P. 11201, Niamey.

TRAVEL NOTES

Customs: Visitors need visas, which may be obtained from the 
Nigerien Embassy. 

Currency, weights, and measures: Local currency is the CFA franc, 
presently exchanged at 575 CFA francs=US$1. The same currency is 
used throughout most of former French West Africa. Metric weights 
and measures are used. Temperatures are in centigrade.

Health: Check latest information on required immunizations. Suggested 
immunizations are yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid, and polio. Malaria 
suppressants and gamma globulin are recommended. Although Niamey 
has a filtering plant, water is not potable and should be filtered and 
boiled, or treated with purification pills. Outside Niamey, observe the 
same precautions.

Telecommunications: Niamey has telephone, telegraph, and fax 
facilities. Calls to the U.S. may be made at any time, but quality of 
reception varies. Niamey is 6 hours ahead of eastern standard time (5 
hours when the east coast is on daylight savings time). Niger does not 
observe daylight savings time. International airmail letters to or from 
the eastern US take 3-6 days; service is fairly regular.

Transportation: Travel within Niger and to neighboring countries is by 
air and road. Scheduled air service is available to neighboring capitals. 
Major airlines operating in Niger are Air France and Air Afrique. Of 
the three major roads leading from Niamey, one is paved for the first 
100 km. (60 mi.) towards Tillaberi; another is paved for 700 km. (460 
mi.) to Agadez, and the third is paved for 1,240 km. (770 mi.) through 
Dosso, Maradi, Zinder, Goure, and to Nguigmi. Other roads in Niger 
are paved for short distances. Taxis are the only public transportation in 
Niamey that is somewhat adequate, inexpensive, and generally 
obtainable in business or market areas.

Tourist attractions: These include the wildlife parks at Park W, Boubon 
Island recreation area in the Niger River near Niamey, the area of Say 
near the Benin border, and Diffa on Lake Chad. Historic sites include 
Tahoua; Agadez, with its 16th century mosque; ruins of the Sokoto 
Empire in Maradi and Konni; and Zinder, the colonial capital of Niger 
until the capital relocated to Niamey in the 1920s. Native art and 
handicrafts are available, particularly at Agadez. (However, travel to 
Agadez and other northern cities is discouraged due to ongoing 
political and ethnic tension.)

National holidays: The US Embassy is closed on the following official 
Nigerien holidays; shops and businesses also may be closed.

New Year's Day--January 1
Id-al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)*--March
Easter Monday*--April
Niger Labor Day--May 1
Ad-Al-Adha/Tabaski*--June
Niger Independence Day--August 3
Mohammed's Birthday/Mouloud*--August
National Unity Day--December 18
Christmas Day--December 25

*Date changes annually

FURTHER INFORMATION

These titles are provided as a general indication of material published 
on this country. The Department of State does not endorse unofficial 
publications.

Adloff, Richard. The French-Speaking Nations. New York: Holt, 
Rinehart & Winston, 1964.
Beckwith, Carol. Nomads of Niger. New York: Hary N. Abrams, 1983.
Boubou, Hama. Recherches sur l'Histoire des Touareg Sahariens et 
Soudanais. Paris: Presence Africain, 1967.
Chaffard, George. Les Carnets Secret de la Decolonization. Vol. II. 
Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1968.
Charlick, Robert B. Niger: Personal Rule and Survival in the Sahel. 
Boulder and San Francisco: Westview Press, 1991.
Clarke, Thurston. The Last Caravan. New York: Putnam, 1978.
Crowder, Michael. West Africa Under Colonial Rule. Evanston, Ill.: 
Northwestern University Press, 1968.
Decalo, Samuel. Historical Dictionary of Niger. Scarecrow Press, 1979.
de Gramont, Sanche. The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger 
River. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1976.
Gregoire, Emmanuel. The Alhazai of Maradi: Traditional Hausa 
Merchants in a Changing Sahelian City. Translated by B.H. Hardy. 
Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992.
Grove, A.T. (Ed) Niger and Its Neighbors: Environmental History and 
Hydrobiology, Human Use and Health Hazards of the Major West 
African Rivers. Brookfield Pub. Co., 1985.
Hargreaves, John D. West Africa: The Former French States. 
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1967.
Lloyd, Christopher. The Search for the Niger. London: Collins, 1973.
Mortimer, Edward. France and the Africans 1944-1960, A Political 
History. London: Faber & Faber, 1969.
Niger. (Let's Visit Places--Nations, Dependencies, and Sovereignties of 
the World Series.)  (Illus.) Chelsea House, 1989.
"Nomads of the World." Washington, D.C.: National Geographic 
Society, 1971.
Sere de Rivieres, Edmond. Histoire du Niger. Paris: Berger-Levrault, 
1965.
Stoller, Paul & Olkes, Cheryl. In Sorcery's Shadow: A memoir of 
apprenticeship among the Songhay of Niger. Chicago and  London. 
The University of Chicago Press, 1987.

For information on foreign economic trends, commercial development, 
production, trade regulations, and tariff rates contact the International 
Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 
20230 or any Commerce Department district office. 

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