Niger aims to boost its economy and expand its mining industry by mining copper in the Agadez region. The country granted a permit to national firm Compagnie Miniere de l’Air (Cominair SA).

“Niger is continuing its program of diversifying mining production” with a move that “marks its entry into the restricted circle of countries producing this strategic mineral,” according to a statement from Niger’s military government, which took power following a July 2023 coup.

Ulf Laessing, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Sahel regional program in neighboring Mali, said the concession is part of Niger’s strategy to reduce its reliance on foreign companies for mineral extraction.

Laessing said that it was impossible to predict how successful the project will be, noting that the copper mine is in the north, not far from Libya, where the security situation is very poor. He added that Niger is following a trend seen in Burkina and Mali, where military governments rely more on local companies, rather than Western ones.

The operators of the mine located in Niger’s second largest city, Moradi, expect to produce an average of 2,700 tons of copper per year over a period of ten years. Niger’s government hopes that the mine will create hundreds of new jobs and a lucrative business.

A small scale permit has also been granted to Nigerien firm Compagnie Miniere de Recherche et d’Exploitation (Comirex SA) at Dannet to produce lithium, which is a key component of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power everything from cellphones to electric vehicles.

The company expects to produce 300 tons of lithium a year. The Nigerien state holds a 25% stake in the Cominair copper mine and a 40% stake in Comirex in order to maintain the government’s control over the nation’s resources.

For decades, the desert state was a major producer of uranium, but since junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in the military coup, uranium production has come to a standstill. This is because the border with Benin is closed, and uranium can only be exported via Benin. The government wants to do much more itself and no longer work with French companies or other Western companies, according to Laessing.

The source of funding for the mining projects is not clear. Laessing suggested that copper mining could be partially financed with revenues from oil production. France, Niger’s former colonial ruler, has become unpopular in the Sahel and has lost influence. The junta no longer considers itself bound by partnership agreements from the aegis of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in the 2023 coup.

The military junta recently withdrew French nuclear company Orano’s license to mine uranium, after 50 years of operation in Niger. Canadian company GoviEX also no longer has a permit to operate the Madaouela uranium mine. These are symbolic acts to make Niger less dependent on Western companies, according to Laessing.

The new concessions complement the extraction of mineral resources, which are abundant in the Sahel states of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. All three countries have large gold deposits. Even after the end of the colonial era, economic relations with the West were never on an equal footing.

The conditions were dictated unilaterally by Western countries, which set the prices for raw materials they bought from African countries. This is perceived as unfair in Africa.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/sahel-juntas-drive-new-era-in-mineral-extraction/a-72124570?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf