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Niger

A country faced with huge challenges

Following a military coup, free and fair elections were held in Niger in 2011 and again in 2015, leading to the formation of democratically legitimate civilian governments. However, terrorists and militant groups – especially attacks by Boko Haram, including in the south – continue to pose a threat to internal security. Despite debt relief, financial aid and government funding, the economic and social situation remains dire for most of the population. The country’s stable economic growth of around 4.4% is scarcely able to reduce the high poverty rate, as the population is also growing at 4.1% per year, faster than in almost any other country in the world. Alleviating poverty and curbing population growth are therefore key challenges for Niger. But the country also has potential: it is rich in mineral resources and has large deposits of uranium, for example.

Since its independence on 3 August 1960, the Republic of Niger has undergone a number of administrative reforms geared towards decentralisation. However, decentralisation has only been prominent on the political agenda and directly tangible for the people of Niger since 2011, when the first regional and local elections were held and the government, also newly elected in 2011, gave the country a new constitution that provides for greater decentralisation. Decentralisation is intended to improve development in villages and towns throughout the country. Moreover, the aim is to strike a balance between the regions, which is designed to prevent conflicts and bring lasting stability to the country.

But there is still a long way to go: the local and regional elections planned for 2016 have been postponed by the government until 2020. Activities are devolved to the municipal level by the state, but municipalities usually do not have the necessary capacity or money to carry out the tasks assigned to them. Public services are therefore often non-existent or only available to a limited extent. The local population often has only has limited or no access at all to health stations, primary schools, wells or markets.

KfW Development Bank is therefore supporting the Niger government on behalf of the German Federal Government in three regions (Tillabéri in the centre of the country as well as Tahoua and Agadez in the north), providing funding through investment funds and investment-related training measures through a training centre for local authorities and by strengthening the state agency for the financing of regional bodies (ANFICT). The goal is for the local authorities to plan, build and sustainably use urgently needed infrastructure with the participation of the population.

Project Information- Decentralisation (PDF, 172 KB, non-accessible)

Niger is an agricultural nation in which over 80% of the population make their living from agriculture, contributing around 40% of the country’s gross domestic product. However, at present only one eighth of the desert nation, an estimated 150,000 square kilometres, can be used for agriculture. The land is heavily degraded and produces only low yields. The mainly small family farms use traditional and less productive farming methods. The insufficient supply of high-quality agricultural inputs to agricultural producers also negatively affects agricultural productivity.

The rapidly growing population puts enormous pressure on natural resources. As a result, farmland and pastures are becoming increasingly barren. The impacts of global climate change are intensifying fluctuations in the climate, resulting in irregular or non-existent rainfall. The country therefore regularly experiences food crises.

In this context, irrigated agriculture is becoming increasingly important. To date, the country’s irrigation potential has not been unleashed to a sufficient degree, with only 128,000 ha out of a possible 10.94 million ha of farmland currently irrigated. Most rainwater runs off without being used because there are no dams or other retention facilities.

KfW therefore promotes the construction of irrigation systems, stone dams and ground sills as well as the construction of warehouses, sales points for equipment and access roads. In addition, KfW promotes the establishment of a revolving working capital fund to improve the supply of all Nigerien agricultural producers with sufficient, high-quality and affordable fertiliser and animal feed.

The goal of our involvement is to promote better and sustainable use of natural resources in Niger. This is intended to secure the food supply of the population and generate more income for farmers from their work.

Project Information - Food supply (PDF, 151 KB, non-accessible)

Further information