(Ecofin Agency) – Uranium represents between 15 and 20% of Niger’s exports, far ahead of other products. After the July 2023 coup, the country faced economic sanctions including the closure of its borders with other countries in the sub-region.
In Niger, Orano plans to produce uranium at only 40% of its capacity in 2024. This was declared by its general director Nicolas Maes last week, adding that the French group cannot export this production due to persistent geopolitical problems.
As the only uranium producer in Niger, Orano thus confirms information noted by theEcofin Agency in the latest statistics from the West African Economic and Monetary Union. According to the regional economic situation note for the second quarter of 2024 published in September by the organization, Niger did not in fact export either gold or uranium during the first six months of the year.
« No export of mining products [uranium et or] was recorded over the period under review due to the consequences of the economic and financial sanctions taken by regional institutions against the country, in particular the closure of the borders with Benin which was the main corridor for the sale of these products to the exterior», already indicated the UEMOA at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
The July 2023 coup in Niger led to various sanctions against the country, taken by the other heads of state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). One of the sanctions, in this case the closure of common borders with Niger, affected Orano’s activities. Although most sanctions have been lifted this year by ECOWAS, the Benin-Nigeria border remains closed on the Niger side.
UEMOA therefore notes that Niger’s exports fell from 216.3 billion FCFA ($361.05 million) in the first half of 2023 to 86.1 billion FCFA a year later, which corresponds to a drop of 60%. year-on-year. While other sectors have contributed to this decrease, it is important to note that uranium is historically Niger’s leading export product. In 2022 and 2023, fossil fuel represented 15% and 20% of Nigerien exports respectively.
In recent months, the prospects for an imminent opening of the border between Benin and Niger have been promising, if recent high-level discussions between the two countries are to be believed. For Global Atomic, owner of the Dasa uranium project, a solution should be “found in the short term“. The Canadian company is counting on the reopening of the main corridor for Nigerien imports and exports, while it prepares the commissioning of the Dasa uranium mine for 2026.
Emiliano Tossou
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04/10/2024 – Uranium: Global Atomic is banking on the upcoming opening of the Niger-Benin border
