NIGER

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

LOCATION AND SIZE.

Niger is a landlocked West African country. It is bordered by Algeria and Libya to the north, Nigeria and Benin to the south, Mali and Burkina Faso to the west, and Chad to the east. Niger is about 600 kilometers (373 miles) from east to west at its widest point and about 400 kilometers (248 miles) north to south, and it extends into the Saharan desert. Niger's land area is 1,267,000 square kilometers (48,919 square miles), almost twice the size of Texas. Naimey, the capital city, is in the southwest, and both it and Agadez have international airports.

POPULATION.

The population is estimated at 10,355,156 in July 2001. Of Niger's 10 main ethnic groups, the Hausa accounted for 56 percent of the population in 1998. They were followed by the Djerma-Songhai (22 percent), the Fula (8.5 percent), the Tuaregs (8 percent), the Kanouri (4 percent), with Toubous, Arabs and Gourmatche making up 1 percent of the population. About 80 percent of Nigeriens are Muslim. The official language is French, but Djerma and Hausa are also spoken.

The vast majority of the population lives in rural areas (81 percent), but urban populations are growing at a rate of 5.7 percent per year. The population is estimated to be growing at 3.2 percent per year, and the United Nations estimates the population in 2025 will be 22.4 million. This figure is mainly due to the high fertility rate of 7 children born per woman (2000 estimate), although this rate is falling.

OVERVIEW OF ECONOMY

Niger has a predominantly rural and poorly diversified economy, which is very vulnerable to outside factors (including swarms of locusts, drought, the exhaustion of natural resources, and world prices). Some improved prosperity was experienced in the 1970s due mainly to revenue from uranium. The decline in world uranium prices, the lack of rainfall, poor governance, and economic turmoil in a major trading partner, Nigeria, led to an economic decline in the 1980s. In the 1990s there was a modest improvement, with the gross national product (GNP) per head rising at 0.8 percent a year.

Niger is one of the 20 or so poorest countries in the world. The GNP per head measured by the exchange rate conversion is US$190 (in the United States, by way of comparison, it is US$29,340 per head). The purchasing power parity conversion (which makes allowance for the low price of many basic commodities in Niger) estimates the GNP per head at US$830. Similarly, the gross domestic product (GDP) per head was estimated at US__BODY__,000 in 2000.

The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounted for 40 percent of the GDP in 1998. More than 90 percent of the population depends on subsistence agriculture (even urban dwellers maintain strong links to the countryside) and on the export of uranium. The main food crops are groundnuts, millet, sorghum, cassava, rice and cowpeas, and cotton is grown for industrial use. Livestock reared includes cattle, sheep goats, and poultry. Industry, which provides 18 percent of the GDP, is small and consists mainly of uranium mining, the manufacturing of construction materials, textiles, the processing of agricultural products and brewing and soft drinks. In 1998 retail and wholesale trade, hotels and restaurants generated 17 percent of the GDP, transport and communications 5 percent, and with the rest of the services sector 20 percent.

Such low income means that 84 percent of total expenditure in Niger goes to consumption. Saving is very low at 3 percent, and, even with international aid, this in turn limits investment to 10 percent of the GDP—barely enough to maintain the capital stock at its current level. This means that worn-out machinery can be replaced and buildings, roads, ports, and airports kept in repair, but no increase in these can be made available. As more machinery and infrastructure are necessary for economic growth, production stagnates.

The major challenges are to restore flows of foreign aid (which have been cut as a result of the period of military rule from 1998 to 1999) and to implement the liberalizing reform program demanded by the international donors. The major demands on the public purse are to pay 40,000 civil servants and service the country's external debt. The government has pleaded for the early resumption of aid, and although some bilateral aid has been forthcoming, institutional and multilateral aid has been far more problematic. The prime minister has sought to reassure donors that poverty is the government's main concern, and the revival of the $580 million poverty eradication policy has won support from some key donors.

The government has instituted a series of economic reforms, mainly in the area of public finances, by streamlining the civil service, accelerating privatization, and increasing revenue collection. The government has also introduced many redundancies (duplication designed to prevent failure of the entire economic system because of the failure of one component). A weakness is the narrowness of the tax base, which extends to no more than a third of the country's economic activities. Most trade is dominated by a dozen families, who are widely suspected of avoiding taxes. Despite more than a decade tax reforms backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), little has improved, with fiscal revenue less than 10 percent of the GDP. But with the threat of civil unrest, the government finds it difficult to increase taxes while decreasing public wages. Thus deficits have been covered by creating arrears, putting a strain on donor relations.

Only 3 out of 12 major public companies have been sold in the period from 1996 to 1999, but to appease the IMF the government has declared that it is determined to continue to privatize. Sonitextil (textiles) has been sold to a Chinese corporation; Olani (milk production) has been sold to a private Nigerian company; Société Nationale de Ciment (SNC) (cement) has been sold to a Norwegian company. However, the disposal of further services (including the post service, petrol, and electricity) looks to be held up by a lack of external funding to prepare these sectors for privatization.

Niger has never suffered the same high rates of inflation as some of its neighbors, due to its membership of the Franc Zone (the use of a fully convertible currency, the CFA franc, pegged to the French franc) and the tight monetary and fiscal rules imposed by the Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO). However, the devaluation in 1994 of the CFA franc was a major inflationary problem for Niger, which imports most of its manufactured consumer goods. The government struggled to bring remuneration in the public sector under control, which delayed a new agreement being signed with the IMF. However, the government's efforts to curb inflation were successful in bringing inflation down to 36 percent, rather than seeing it reach the feared 100 percent. Inflation began to slow in 1995 and became negative in 1999 due to an excellent harvest.

POLITICS, GOVERNMENT, AND TAXATION

France took little interest in developing Niger during its colonial rule from the start of the 20th century until 1959, when uranium deposits were discovered. Independence was gained a year later and Hamani Diori became the first president. Widespread political corruption and drought in 1968 and 1969 brought civil disorder, at which point the army intervened. Lieutenant Colonel Seyni Kountche then ruled through the Conseil Militaire Supreme (CMS). Shortly before his death in 1987, he tried to create a legitimate face for the CMS by introducing a National Charter. His successor, Aly Saibou, proposed a single-party constitution, that was passed in a 1989 referendum. The only legal party was then the National Movement for Developing Society (MNSD).

Internal social and political pressure built up in 1990-91 with demands for a multi-party state. Aid donors also began exerting force to move Niger towards democracy. Saibou eventually heeded the calls, and in 1991 a national conference was called, leading to a multi-party constitution. Legislative elections were held in 1993, and the MNSD gained 29 of the 83 seats, while the opposition Alliance de Forces de Changement (AFC) won 50 seats and formed the new government. Mahamane Ousmane, the AFC's candidate, was elected president the following month. However, the government soon ran into problems. Unrest, following the 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc led to the prime minister's resignation, fresh elections in 1995, and a period of limited cooperation between the MNSD leader, the prime minister and the president. Although achieving little in this period, the government did manage to sign a peace agreement with the Tuareg (a nomadic trading people, operating across Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mali, with whom there had been armed conflict) to prevent further insurgencies.

In 1996 the army chief of staff, Colonel Ibrahim Mainassara, seized power. A new multi-party constitution was introduced, followed by an election, which Mainassara won amid malpractice protests. The opposition boycotted the legislative election and formed the Front pour la Restauration et la Defense de Democratie (FRDD) to denounce Mainassara's manipulation of the electoral process and to demand new elections. In 1997 and 1998 there were union and student demonstrations, which resulted in violent clashes with the government. Unrest in the armed forces and Tuareg insurgency created further problems for the new government.

It was hoped that the participation of FRDD in the 1999 local elections would usher in a new era of reconciliation. However, administrative muddle and indecisive results marred the election. President Mainassara was shot and killed 2 months later by members of the presidential guard. A new military council was formed by the chief of the presidential guard, Major Daouda Wanke, who became president. This military coup cost Niger much international goodwill, and many donors froze payments. Wanke was forced to announce elections and a new constitution in 1999 and stepped down with constitutional immunity from the law.

Presidential and legislative elections were held in late 1999. The new president, Mamadou Tandja, a retired colonel, won 60 percent of the vote in the second round of elections, and his MNSD, together with the Convention Democratique et Sociale (CDS), holds a majority of seats in parliament. Elections were deemed to be satisfactorily free and fair, leading to the resumption of donor aid, although political stability is still very fragile. General army discontent over wages and conditions could well lead to a mutiny or coup. In addition, social unrest, spurred by union protests over the non-payment of salaries, has continued. The European Union, whose aid is frozen, is backing demands for an inquiry into assassinations which implicate Major Wanke.

A referendum on the present constitution (the fifth in recent years) received 90 percent of the vote on a 30 percent turnout in 1999. The constitution seeks to share power between the president and the prime minister, and the president is elected for a period of 5 years. The parliament is also elected for 5 years. The president may dissolve the assembly once in a year and picks the prime minister from a choice of 3 selected by a parliamentary majority. The constitution allows for a 7-member constitutional court, which interprets the constitution and validates electoral results; an electoral commission to supervise and organize elections; an economic, social and cultural council (which is in charge of examining relevant bills) and a media watchdog, the Communication Council. In May 2000 a high council of national defence was created to run the armed forces.

The discontent of the Tuareg and other communities has died down, following the deal that was brokered in 1995. The rebellion cost hundreds of lives, affected infrastructure, and stopped promising tourism in the desert town of Agadez. By mid-1999, most Tuaregs had turned in their weapons, in return for jobs in the armed forces or other sectors. Following these developments tourism has picked up in Tuareg areas. However, the government now faces problems from the Toubou community in the east.

Most of the 11 privately-owned papers suffered harassment, closures, and arrests under the Mainassara regime. The only private FM radio station also reported harassment. The state controls most radio and television broadcasts. But a more moderate press law was enacted in 1998.

Niger raises less than 10 percent of the GNP in tax revenue and received a further 2 percent in surpluses from state-owned enterprises, mainly monopolies. About 25 percent of government spending goes on social services (which includes health and education), about 15 percent on military equipment and the armed forces, with the remainder absorbed by general public sector administration.

INFRASTRUCTURE, POWER, AND COMMUNICATIONS

Despite much donor funded improvement, the transport system remains inadequate, with only 8 percent of the 6,800 kilometers (4,225 miles) of roads being paved, although international road transport has improved with the completion of the Zinder-Agadis Road (part of the Trans Sahara highway). Although there remains no railway network in Niger, there is an emphasis on increasing access to the sea via waterways through neighboring states to the south.

There are international airports at Naimey and Agadez, and 25 other towns have airports or landing strips. Naimey is the busiest airport and is served by several regional and international carriers.

There are about 14,000 telephones in Niger, and most main towns have public telephones. The international telephone service links Naimey to Nigerian and French installations. There are an estimated 38,000 televisions and 500,000 radios in use in Niger.

In the energy sector there have been substantial rises in fuel prices, by more than 20 percent, in 2000. This rise has increased prices throughout the economy by making transport and electricity more expensive, although output is these sectors has remained more-or-less unchanged. Domestic electricity is mainly thermally generated, with some rural solar energy. Electricity consumption rose to

268 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in 1998, but production, due to poor maintenance of installations was a mere 28 million kilowatt hours. The rest is bought from Nigeria, but the country has suffered frequent power cuts due to rationing of the supply from Nigerian. A new hydroelectric dam has been proposed 180 kilometers from Naimey. The government petrol company, Sonidep, and the state electricity company, Nigelec, have been slated for privatization.

Sonichar (a parastatal) began opencast coal mining in Anou Arraren in 1981 to provide fuel for the local power plant and provide energy for the uranium mines and industry near Arlit, as well as the towns of Agadez and Tchirozine. Reserves stand at 6 million metric tons, and production has been 150,000 metric tons per year since 1983.

ECONOMIC SECTORS

Niger depends most on agriculture, for both output and employment, and this fact reflects Niger's low level of development. Agriculture (including hunting, forestry, and fishing) employed 90 percent of the population in 1998 and provided 40 percent of the GDP. This is a much higher reliance on agriculture for production than is general in Africa, where, on average, 17 percent of the GDP comes from farming. The involvement of the labor force in agriculture, too, is well above the African norm, where on average 68 percent of the work-force are engaged in farming.

Industry (including mining, manufacturing, construction and power) employed 4 percent of the population (in Africa generally, it is 9 percent) and produced 18 percent of the GDP (the all-Africa figure is 34 percent). Services generated 42 percent of the GDP in 1988 (compared with Africa generally at 50 percent) and employed 6 percent of the working population (whereas the all-Africa figure was 23 percent).

AGRICULTURE

Niger's food supply problems have eased due to excellent harvests from 1998 to 2000. Food crop production (mainly millet, sorghum, paddy rice, and pulses) has benefitted from regular rains and has helped keep consumer price inflation low. However, production is very vulnerable to rainfall, disease, and pests. Famines are a constant fear and are exacerbated by poor food storage, despite measures taken since the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s.

Cereal imports vary between 10 percent and 40 percent of yearly requirements, although in millet and sorghum Niger is self-sufficient. About 44,000 metric tons of rice and 39,000 metric tons of wheat are imported to meet needs every year. with rice coming from Asia and other cereals coming from the West African region.

Most cultivating farms are family smallholdings. Livestock rearing is undertaken in arid areas and provides 10-15 percent of the GDP. After uranium, live cattle is the largest export, mainly to Nigeria. Niger's other export crops (cotton, ground nuts, and cowpeas) are also mainly exported to Nigeria but have suffered with the collapse of world oil prices and the consequent downturn of the Nigerian economy (Nigeria's exports are more than 95 percent oil) since 1985.

INDUSTRY

Modern manufacturing accounts for less than 1 percent of the GDP, and mainly consists of soaps and detergents, bottled drinks, and the processing of agricultural products. Two Chinese companies purchased an 80 percent stake in the textiles company, Sonitex, in 1997, and output of Sonitex fabrics totalled 5.6 million meters in 1998. Niger also has a 35,000 metric ton capacity cement plant, and several smaller factories supply local markets with metal goods and construction materials.

Uranium mining began in 1971 in the open desert near Arlit. In 1998 output was 3,561 metric tons per year, making Niger the third largest producer in the world. Mines are operated by Cominak and Somair (two private companies), though the government maintains an interest through the national mining office, Oranem. Technical support is provided by the French company, Cogema, which has a contract until 2003. New agreements from 1995 allow Somair to exploit new reserves at Takriza and Toumou, which total 15,000 metric tons. Cominak and Somair produce roughly 2,000 and 1,000 metric tons per year respectively, but both have suffered from reduced revenue due to the fall in the world price of uranium. As a result Somair has more than halved its workforce to 400, and Cominak is also expected to introduce retrenchments

After positive exploration surveys, gold production is expected to stimulate the mining sector. Revision of the mining code in 1993 to offer a 5-year income tax break for larger companies and no import duty on mining equipment makes a very appealing package for foreign investors, and several companies have moved into the Liptako area. Recent seismic surveys for copper, lithium and molybdenum also produced promising results. Cassiterite is also currently mined at a few small sites.

SERVICES

Between 1988 and 1992 4 banks collapsed: the development bank, Banque de Developpement de la Republique du Niger (BDRN), and commercial banks. Remaining are 2 development banks along with 10 other banks and financial sector institutions. The development banks borrow on international capital markets and lend to large scale business enterprises and public sector projects. The commercial banks and savings banks take deposits from the public and lend to individuals and smaller business enterprises. The commercial banks are also engaged in foreign exchange dealing.

The transport sector is very underdeveloped. There is no railway, and the Niger River is only navigable for 3 months of the year when rain increases the water level. Almost all freight travels by road along the borders with Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The most northerly point reached is Agadez, 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Nigerian border, with minimal transport in the northern half of the country. There are 27 airports, of which 9 have paved runways.

Retail and wholesale distribution is undertaken by small traders predominantly in open-air markets where a wide range of foodstuffs, second-hand clothing imported from Europe, and household utensils fabricated from scrap metal, are on sale.

Niger has considerable tourism potential which was starting to expand in the 1980s. Then Tuareg rebellion closed the main attractions, such as Agadez, the capital of the desert zone. Since the peace agreement with the Tuareg in 1995, the number of tourists has begun to increase, mainly to the Tenere Desert, the Air Mountains and the Niger River, reaching 55,000 in 1999. The tourist experience focuses on the attractions of desert life and the exotic nomadic groups, such as the Tuareg, who inhabit the arid regions.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Niger runs a continuous deficit in merchandise trade, with exports in 1997 at US$300 million and imports at US$441 million. This deficit is met by international aid, mostly from France.

Niger's exports in 1995 were mainly uranium (49 percent), livestock and meat products (17 percent), and cowpeas (7 percent). Most of Niger's exports, mainly the uranium, went to France (74 percent), Côte d'Ivoire (8 percent), and Nigeria (3 percent).

Imports in 1995 were dominated by consumer manufactures (62 percent), machinery and vehicles (20 percent), cereals (10 percent), and fuels (8 percent). France provided most of Niger's imports with 19 percent of the total, and other sources of imports were Cote d'Ivoire (12 percent), Germany (2 percent), and Japan (2 percent).

In 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc enhanced the profitability of exports and discouraged imports. Consequently

the trade deficit fell to half its 1980 level, and in 1997 it stood at US$141 million. Trade with Nigeria, which is Niger's biggest regional trading partner, has improved greatly since the 1994 devaluation. However, much of this trade, as in the case of other neighbors, is smuggled across unsecured land borders and goes unrecorded.

MONEY

Niger is part of the 8-member UEMOA, and the currency is the CFA franc. Niger's Central Bank (BCEAO) holds the monetary reserves of all member states and is obliged to hold 65 percent of foreign reserves at the French treasury. France in turn guarantees convertibility of the CFA franc within UEMOA. The BCEAO issues currency notes and regulates credit expansion throughout the region. The CFA franc was pegged to the French franc at 50: 1 from 1948 but because it was over-valued in the late 1980s it was devalued to CFA franc 100:1 French franc. With France having joined the European Monetary Union, the CFA franc is now tied to the euro at 655.959:1.

POVERTY AND WEALTH

Rural people eke out a slim, almost life-threatening existence tending their herds or their small farm plots.

Their houses are made of wood with dirt. They eat mostly cooked cereal and milk, but they rarely eat meat. Their clothes are secondhand, sent from Europe to be sold in local markets. Water comes from wells, cooking is done over wood fires, and lighting is from small kerosene wick lamps. Sanitation is provided by pit latrines. Children are unlikely to go to school, and there are seldom operating health facilities close-by.

In the towns, for those with employment, conditions tend to be better. The lower middle class lives in housing made of cement blocks with tin rooftops and concrete floors. There is electricity and water some of the time. Moreover, schools and dispensaries are close. The poor live in slums where they construct their shelters from scraps of material, plastic, and rusty metal sheets. They use pit latrines and communal water taps. Urban poor have better access to medical care and schools for their children, but there are shortages of these facilities, and often the charges are too high for a poverty-stricken family to afford.

Niger is a low income country, and 61 percent of the population were below the US__BODY__ per day poverty line in 1992, with the incidence of poverty greatest in the rural areas. Niger is ranked 173 out of 174 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index.

Average life expectancy is estimated at 47 years, and this age is a significant improvement on the 1970 figure of 38 years. Infant mortality is estimated at 125 deaths per 1,000 births (in the United States the rate is 7 per 1,000) and 320 children out of every 1,000 will die before the age of 5. There are 3 doctors and 70 nurses per 100,000 people.

AIDS is a growing problem, and the Ministry of Health estimated that there were 93,008 sufferers in 1998, with 5,378 deaths attributed to the disease. A National Commission to combat AIDS was set up in 1987. However, Islamic groups still oppose the promotion of condoms.

Niger's educational provision outside towns is rudimentary, and class sizes are universally large. There is 1 university at Naimey, as well as several small colleges. However, they are very under-funded, and close frequently due to student or teacher strikes over grants and salaries. Adult literacy was 14 percent in 1997, primary school enrollment was 24 percent, and secondary was 9 percent. There is also a large disparity between men and women in terms of access to education, with almost twice as many males enrolled as females.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The total labor force in 1998 was estimated at 5 million, of which 44 percent were women. Most children aged 10-14 have to work, and 45 percent of children in this age group were in the labor force. Children start helping with farm work from as early as 5 years of age. The public sector employs 39,000 (and is the only significant formal employer), while small shops and industry account for a few thousand jobs, as does mining. The rest of the population makes a living in agriculture, on small family farms, or in herding livestock. Gender disparities are high: while 41 percent of women work, only 8 percent hold administrative or managerial positions, and they account for only 8 percent of professional and technical workers.

The unemployment rate has little meaning in Africa. There are no social security provisions, and those without work or support from families or charities cannot survive. For much of the year in subsistence farming there is relatively little work to do, and this is shared among the family members. During planting and harvesting, there is more work to be done, and everyone is more fully occupied, but even in these periods, there may be more than enough labor to do the tasks, and the work is again shared. Since people share the farm work it appears that all of them have occupations in agriculture, but these workers are not engaged full time for all the year, and hence there is some "disguised unemployment." In the urban area those without formal sector jobs and any family or charitable support survive by casual hawking, portering, and scavenging.

The number of people earning regular wages or salaries is 70,000. There is a formal minimum wage. The government, under IMF pressure, has been streamlining the civil service, and government employees have lost their jobs, which will undoubtedly bring the government trade union trouble.

Trade unions in Niger are strong, with around 70 percent of public sector workers and more than 50 percent in the private sector unionized. The unions are militant, and strikes, which often lead to civil unrest, are not uncommon and have brought down governments. The present government, much like those of the past, faces much pressure from the public sector unions, which as well as protesting over pay arrears, have also opposed privatization, with support from students.

COUNTRY HISTORY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1900. Niger becomes a French colony.

1958. Niger is allowed internal self-government.

1959. Uranium deposits are discovered.

1960. Niger becomes fully independent with Hamani Diori as the first president.

1969. Drought and civil disorder disrupt the country, and the army takes control under Lt-Col. Seyni Kountche.

1987. Kountche dies, and Col. Aly Saibou assumes the presidency.

1989. Single-party constitution is passed by a referendum.

1991. Multi-party constitution introduced.

1993. Mahamane Ousmane is elected president.

1994. CFA franc is devalued, raising the domestic prices received for exports and increasing export volumes, while at the same time increasing import prices and reducing import volumes, these 2 factors combining to reduce the trade deficit.

1996. Col. Ibrahim Mainassara seizes power.

1999. Mainassara is shot and Major Dauda Wanke becomes president. Later, Wanke steps down, and Mamadou Tandja is elected president.

FUTURE TRENDS

On the political front, President Tandja faces militant unions who are demanding a year's salary arrears, and the opposition has become increasingly confrontational. A fashion fair has provoked Islamic fundamentalism. Political stability is still under threat as Tandja's government moves towards strong-arm tactics to clamp down on protests and civil disorder in 2001. Civil unrest serves to discourage both domestic and foreign investment, and strikes and demonstrations seriously impair economic progress.

Niger continues to participate in regional developments, such as the free trade initiatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and UEMOA, but they will have limited impact as so little of Niger's trade is with neighboring countries.

The economy depends heavily on the fortunes of the agriculture sector and on the volume of the output of uranium, and the price received for it. With drought a chronic problem and minimal investment, it is to be expected that agriculture will continue to stagnate. There are no immediate prospects that the world will increase its demand for nuclear power, and the prospects are for a continuation of the depressed price for uranium and no significant increase in production from Niger's uranium sector. Niger faces the prospect of continuing economic stagnation and greater reliance on the international community for aid to maintain living standards at even their depressed current levels.

The IMF is hoping to approve new loans, but the government will struggle to meet the required conditions. The World Bank has approved a $35 million loan to help fiscal reforms and to cover the trade deficit. Inflation pressures will grow due to the increases in petroleum prices. Electricity cuts have been less frequent, but lack of rain may lead to food shortages following the 2000-01 season. In terms of international aid, the European Union has started disbursement of $48 million worth of loans, and other European countries have also begun significant disbursement of funds in Niger.

DEPENDENCIES

Niger has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Economist Intelligence Unit. Country Profile: Niger. London: EIU, 2000.

Ewing, D., et al., editors. Niger Country Review 1999/2000. Houston:Country Watch.com, 1999.

Hodd, M. "Niger." The Economies of Africa. Aldershot:Dartmouth, 1991.

"Niger Economy." Newafrica.com. <http://www.newafrica.com/profiles/economy.asp?countryid=37>. Accessed July 2001.

"Niger." World Yearbook. London: Europa Publications, 2000.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. CIA World Factbook 2000: Niger. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ng.html>. Accessed July 2001.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. CIA World Factbook 2001: Niger. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ng.html>. Accessed September 2001.

—Jack Hodd

CAPITAL:

Niamey.

MONETARY UNIT:

Communauté Financiaire Africaine Franc (CFA Fr). One franc equals 100 centimes. CFA franc notes are in denominations of 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, and 10,000 notes, and coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 250 francs.

CHIEF EXPORTS:

Uranium, livestock and animal products, cowpeas, and onions.

CHIEF IMPORTS:

Consumer goods (cereals, petroleum products), and intermediate and capital goods.

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT:

US$10 billion (purchasing power parity, 2000 est.).

BALANCE OF TRADE:

Exports: US$385 million (f.o.b., 1999). Imports: US$317 million (f.o.b., 1999).