Hamani Diori President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of the Niger
Bornbeganin his1916careerin Niger,as a teacher.Hamani InDiori1952graduatedhe becamefromthetheprincipalEcole ofNormalea schoolin inDakarNiamey.and In 1946,he founded the Niger Progressive Party (P. P. N. ), local division of the African Democratic Rally (R.D.A.). Mr. Diori served as Deputy from Niger to the French National Assembly from 1946 to 1951, and again from 1956 to 1958. He became Vice President of that Assembly on June 21, 1957 and remained in that post until December 1958. In March 1958, Mr. Diori was a member of the French Delegation to the European Parliamentary Assembly. When, on December 18, 1958, Niger chose the status of self-governing Republic and member State of the Community, Mr. Diori became President of the Provisional Government. Following adoption of the Niger's Constitution on February 25, 1959 by the Constituent Assembly, the Republic of the Niger formed its first Government and Mr. Diori was con¬ firmed as President of the Council of Ministers.
(o M - H Zg TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
The Republic of the Niger 3
Highlights of History and Recent Political Evolution 6
The Land and the People 8
Social and Cultural Development 13
Education 13
Public Health 16
Social Legislation 17
The Economy 18
Cash Crops 21
Stock Raising 24
Industry 28
Transportation 29
Foreign Trade 32 rTHE REPUBLIC OF THE NIGER
A Modern Democratic State
In 78%the Referendumvote in favorofofSeptemberthe Constitution28, 1958,drawnthe peopleup by Generalof Niger dereturnedGaulle'sa Government, offering the Overseas Territories of the French Republic a choice between several possible statuses. On December 14, 1958, the R.D.A. party (African Democratic Rally) won a majority of the seats in the newly elected Territorial Assembly, which immedi¬ ately formed itself into a Constituent Assembly and on December 18 chose the status of member State of the Community. At the same time, it called on Mr. Hamani Diori, deputy to the French National Assembly and secretary general of the Niger branch of the R.D.A., to form a Government. After adopting the Constitution of the Republic of the Niger on February 25, 1959, the Constituent Assembly became the Legislative Assembly. The last stage was reached after adoption by the French Parliament and by the Senate of the Community of the Constitutional Law of June 4, 1960. This law transformed the original Community based on common institutions into á contractual association, which made it possible for a State to become independent without thereby leaving the Community. Following the signature with the French F_epublic on July 11, 1960 of agree¬ ments providing for the unconditional international sovereignty of the four member States of the Council of the Entente, the Republic of the Niger proclaimed its inde¬ pendence on August 3, 1960. The form of its future relationship with the French Republic is to be determined by subsequent negotiations. Under French sponsorship, Niger was admitted to the United Nations on September 20, 1960.
Flags were displayed at every home in honor of independence day. Palace in Niamey, where President Diori proclaimed the country's independence
The Constitution of the Niger
The preamble of the Constitution reaffirms the new Republic's attachment to the principles of democracy, human rights and civil liberties, as well as its deter¬ mination to establish relations of cooperation and solidarity with all the States in the Community. The Constitution states that the Republic of the Niger is to be a democratic and secular State and a member of the Community. French is the official language. The Constitution further specifies that "National sovereignty belongs to the people, which shall exercise it either through its representatives or by means of référendums. All citizens of both sexes who have reached their majority may vote."
The executive power belongs to the President of the Council, who is invested by the Legislative Assembly after each general election. Amendment of the Constitution is being studied by the Republic of the Niger to make way for a presidential system of government. Under this reform, the Chief of State would be elected by direct universal suffrage and the office of minister would be incompatible with that of deputy.
The legislative power belongs to the Legislative Assembly, composed of 60 members, who are elected for five-year terms by direct universal suffrage. The Government may be forced to resign and the Legislative Assembly dis¬ solved, either by the adoption of a motion of censure by a two-thirds majority of the Assembly, or by the rejection of a vote of confidence in the Government by an absolute majority. However, the President of the Council may not ask for a vote of confidence from the Assembly and the latter may not introduce a motion of censure until three years after the investiture of the President of the Council.
The courts are independent. There is a Court of State, which has a section that judges the constitutionality of laws; a second section deals with civil cases and a third section acts as an audit office. The High Court of Justice is composed of deputies elected by the Legislative Assembly from among its membership. Should the President of the Council or one of the ministers be indicted by the Legislative Assembly for crimes or mis¬ demeanors committed in the performance of his duties, he would be tried before this court. The Republic of the Niger also has an Economic and Social Council, which has a purely consultative role.
The Council of the Entente On May 29, 1959, the Republic of the Niger joined with the Republics of the Ivory Coast, the Upper Volta and Dahomey in organizing the Council of the Entente, which meets twice annually and is presided over in turn by each of the Heads of State of the four countries. The President serves for one year and is assisted by an administrative secretariat. Mr. Felix Houphouet-Boigny, of the Ivory Coast, served as chairman in 1959. He was succeeded in 1960 by Mr. Hamani Diori, of Niger. The Council of the Entente has already set up a customs union as well as a solidarity fund for financial assistance to each of the member States. It has also provided for the coordination of the development plans of the four countries and of their policies in the fields of taxation, public administration, labor legislation, public works, transportation and communications.
Other Agreements On June 11, 1959, the Republic of the Niger, together with the other members of the Council of the Entente, entered into a customs union agreement with the neighboring Republics of Senegal, Mali and Mauritania. It also signed a convention of cooperation with the O.C.R.S. (Common Organi¬ zation for the Saharan Regions) on May 12, 1959. This provides for financial and technical assistance from the O.C.R.S., to ensure economic and social progress in the Saharan area of Niger and the prospecting and development of strategic raw materials throughout the territory.
5 HIGHLIGHTS OF HISTORY AND RECENT POLITICAL EVOLUTION
Toward Self-Government and Independence
Thereportsfirstthathistoricalthe expeditionsreferencesoftoSeptimusNiger dateFlaccusbackandto RomanJulian Maternustimes. Ptolemypene¬ trated to a mountainous region south of the Sahara, which has been identified with the Air Massif of present-day Niger. The beginnings of the Songhai Empire, which was founded at Gao on the Niger River, have been traced back as far as the seventh century. The thousand years that followed were a time of warfare as tribes migrated and empires vied for ascendency. Early in the seventeenth century, the Djerma migrated in large numbers to the banks of the middle Niger. The Hausa States reasserted themselves and the Touareg formed great confederations. The Peul conquerors came next. Ousman dan Fodio established the Kingdom of Sokoto at the end of the eighteenth century. He subjugated the Hausa but his successors were able to maintain their authority only as Moslem religious leaders. In the nineteenth century came the Europeans. Mungo Park, a Scotsman who was killed near Boussa in 1806, was the first. A succession of German explorers passed through Niger territory during the middle years of the century; they were followed in the 1890's by the French. The first French outpost was established at Talibia in 1896 by a naval officer, Lieutenant Hourst. After a brief period of military rule, a French civil administration was set up and in 1921 began to organize the newly established Colony of the Niger. At first the country's efforts were concentrated on building towns, laying out roads, taking a census, struggling against famine and disease, and training men for more re¬ sponsible positions. The second World War had a profound effect on people's thinking. French leaders saw the necessity of redefining France's policy toward her former colonies. The Brazzaville Conference, called in January 1944 by General de Gaulle, led to the setting up of the French Union. France undertook to develop the civilizations of the overseas peoples and to lead them gradually toward the democratic admin¬ istration of their own affairs.
In 1946, Niger elected its first Territorial Assembly, a representative organ with consultative powers. This experience acquainted the people with the ballot box and enabled the elected representatives to become familiar with the manage¬ ment of the country's affairs. As a result of its new status as an Overseas Territory and an integral part of the French Republic, Niger also took part in the political life of Metropolitan France. It elected two deputies and two senators to the Parliament in Paris and other representatives to the Assembly of the French Union. On the federal level, Niger sent two representatives to the Grand Council of French West Africa. Thus a group of political leaders came to the fore and gained experience in public affairs. They began to take an active part in newly formed political parties; the first to be organized in Niger was the Niger Progressive Party (P.P.N. ), a branch of the African Democratic Rally (R.D.A.). Ten years later, the loi-cadre or enabling act, passed in 1956, granted a large measure of self-government to the Overseas Territories. Like the others, Niger was given a Government, which was composed of 12 ministers and presided over by the Head of the Territory, assisted by a vice president. The Territorial As¬ sembly was now elected by direct universal suffrage and its powers were increased considerably, especially with regard to the budget. When the Constitution of the Fifth Republic was drawn up in France, the African leaders, who were eager to assume greater responsibilities, had an oppor¬ tunity to express their views, many of which were written into the new text.
Celebrating the proclamation of independence on August 3, 1960
ftOA NtCWK I 5« 3AOÛTi960 Pottery bazaar
in Zinder
THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE A
Niger'smensity,geographicits distancepositionfrom inthetheseaheart(moreof thanthe African500 miles)continent,and itsitsinac¬im¬ cessibility, except by air, make this independent State one of the least well known of all the States of West Africa. With an area of 490,000 square miles, the Republic of the Niger is larger than Texas and California combined. Its population of 2,600,000 is comparable to that of Iowa.
As one of the members of its Government has said, it is "essentially a border¬ land of the Sahara." Niger is bounded on the north by the Saharan Department of the Oases and by Libya; on the east by the Republic of Chad; on the west by the Republic of Mali and on the south by the Republics of the Upper Volta and of Dahomey, and by the Federation of Nigeria. The semi-arid climate in the south and the desert climate of the north account for the great variety of landscape and for the uneven distribution of the population. The productive zone stretches from Lake Chad to Niamey; here peanuts and the principal food crops are grown. The monotonous scrub growth of the steppes is broken here and there by large cultivated patches—green or yellow according to the season—which surround the villages. Most of the country's inhabitants live in this area. These sedentary farmers are divided into two principal ethnic groups : Hausa (1,125,000) and Djerma-Songhai (544,000).
8 As one approaches the great desert, the countryside and people change. The trees become smaller, the cultivated patches disappear and are replaced by the nomads and their flocks, who roam in search of water, seeking different places depending on the season. The Peuls (414,000) and Touareg (250,000) who live in this region depend on their flocks for most of their needs. Farther to the north—apart from the Air Massif where there is a certain amount of sedentary farming—the shifting sands of the desert make both human and animal life impossible. A coiintry of limited resources and sparse population (5 inhabitants per sq. mi.), the Republic of the Niger is thus an essentially agricultural and pastoral land. There is little urban life. Niamey, the capital, built on the banks of the river, has a population of 30,000. There are only three other towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants: Zinder, Tahoua and Maradi. The remaining population centers are only big villages. These geographic and human facts explain why, in Niger—as in many other African countries—the attempt to achieve political unity and a national con¬ sciousness encounters all sorts of difficulties, of which the present leaders are perfectly aware. In the forty years during which Niger was linked to France, the diverse popu¬ lations enclosed within artificial boundaries began to gain some feeling of unity. The political evolution of the past fifteen years has enabled the leaders of Niger to forge gradually the idea of nationhood and a common destiny. France served as a catalyst, while giving leeway to the awakening national consciousness.
On the banks of the Niger
Djerma girls
Women of the Tillabery region
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Education
Elementary schools, which were first set up in the large cities, have gradually been established in the principal administrative centers. The shortage of teachers, the vast expanses of the country, the large proportion of nomad populations who are reluctant to be educated—all this explains why Niger has made slower progress in this domain than the other countries of West Africa. Beginning in 1946, FIDES* funds made it possible to open new elementary schools and teacher training courses. While in 1945 the rate of school enrollment was only 1%, by January 1, 1958 —out of a school-age population of 345,000—14,078 pupils attended school, or 4.02% of the children of school age. This rate rose to 6% in 1960 owing to the energetic efforts of the Government and increased financial aid. One of the chief reasons why this figure is relatively low, in comparison with that of such States as the Ivory Coast (27.25%) or Dahomey (29.1%), is that private education plays a very minor role because mission schools are not en¬ couraged by the religion of Islam. In the coastal States, which are almost entirely Christianized, the work of the missions is to a great extent responsible for the high rate of school enrollment. Recent progress, however, has been spectacular and in only a few years great strides have been made, as the accompanying table indicates.
INCREASE IN SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
1958 1960 Elementary Education Schools 153 192 Classes 330 509 Pupils 13,459 21,054
Secondary Education HI Schools 3 8 Classes 20 34 Students 546 1,040
*FIDES, the investment fund for the social and economic development of the Overseas Territories under the Fourth Republic, has now been replaced by FÁC (Fund for Aid and Cooperation), a French Government agency for economic and technical assistance to the new States in Africa and Madagascar which have signed agreements of cooperation with the French Republic. There are eight institutions on the secondary level: a school of classical and modern studies which prepares students for the baccalauréat; three normal schools which train assistant teachers; four institutions offering continuation courses. Technical education is provided by a Center for Accelerated Vocational Train¬ ing in Niamey which has 4 sections: masonry, mechanics, metal working, electrotechnics. The Niger Government's plans for the immediate future are to construct, with the aid of FAC and the European Fund, a secondary school for girls, three new institutions offering continuation courses and a technical school. Above all, the Government plans to combat illiteracy by increasing the number of elementary schools. This will be done by introducing new types of educational institutions: schools held in straw huts for the sedentary populations, to be run by young instructors who have completed an accelerated course in education, and schools held in tents for the nomad populations. Because the cost of operating these institutions will be very low, it will be possible to bring school within the reach of the great masses of the children.
A school in the Tahoua area
14 It must be emphasized, nevertheless, that in spite of its incompleteness, the educational system established by France has made possible the cultural advance¬ ment of an elite; it is significant that the chief figures in Niger's political life and Government today are products of this schooling. Thanks to their attention to this problem, and thanks also to the ever-present aid from France, education for all the citizens will become a reality in the relatively near future, and will no longer be a mere resolve written into the Constitution of Niger.
Niamey vocational school—the sewing lesson
» *
m k-'-i wIf® Bellah woman bringing her child to be weighed
Public Health
As in all tropical countries, the public health problem in Niger was a tremendous one because malaria, smallpox, yellow fever, sleeping sickness and many other tropical diseases were endemic there. Progress in this field, as in many others, was due to the support of FIDES. Before 1946, there were only a few very small hospitals in the largest towns, and primitive dispensaries, which merely handed out medicine, were set up in the other sizable population centers. The work done by France, during the past 15 years, to give Niger suitable medical care has had notable results. Niamey, since 1953, and Zinder, since 1958, have both had modern hospitals equipped with operation rooms and the latest instruments. In 1959 there were the following medical facilities: 2 hospitals with a total of 360 beds; 21 medical centers with 505 beds; 22 maternity wards with 272 beds; 35 dispensaries; 1 tuberculosis sanitorium; 6 private institutions with 100 beds. While this construction program was being carried on, health teams made trips around the country each year in order to vaccinate the people. As a result of these vaccinations, smallpox and yellow fever have been almost completely eliminated. The mobile health and prophylaxis units waged an effective battle against leprosy and venereal disease. In 1959 a school for nurses and technicians was opened in Niamey. It will train specialized personnel who will be able to head new health units. Finally, a psychiatric wing is now under construction at the Niamey Hospital. Thus, when Niger became an independent State, it already possessed modern facilities for care. medical They will have to be expanded, of course, but a beginning has been made both in the training of personnel and in the construction and equipment of buildings.
16 Social Legislation Since Niger was an integral part of the French Republic until 1958, the social legislation in force in Metropolitan France was adapted to local conditions and put into effect there. The 1952 Labor Code, inspired by the principles of French law, gave the Overseas Territories a set of regulations which further protected the wage-earners. The legal status of Overseas Territory entailed, furthermore, the automatic application in Niger of the international conventions ratified by France on the protection of the wage-earner, forced labor, night labor for children, occupational diseases, social policy, etc. At the present time, although the State of Niger may change this social legisla¬ tion as it wishes, the various decrees taken in application of either the Labor Code or the international conventions remain in force. The Niger Government, nevertheless, has begun to work on its own Labor Code, based on the general principles of the 1952 Labor Code of the French Republic. Since the right of each citizen to work and to receive social benefits has been written into the Constitution of the Republic of the Niger, the Government has decided to preserve the social agencies introduced by France. - The Equalization Fund for Family Allowances, in operation since 1957, makes it possible for wage-earners in both the public and private sector to receive family benefits. Of course, great improvements remain to be made in order to arrive at a social security system similar to that of the old countries of Europe. Old age pensions and unemployment compensation are still projects which can only be realized at a more advanced stage of economic development. In spite of its incompleteness, Niger's present social legislation—inspired by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and incorporating the principal social advances of the most developed countries—is worthy of a sovereign democratic State. A combine harvesting rice
wo® m&ßm
rTHE ECONOMY
Ninety-fouragriculture perand centstock raisingof the andpeoplefor ofthisNigerreasonderiveare attheirthe incomemercy offromthe weather. While this situation is common in underdeveloped countries, it is magni¬ fied in Niger by the extremely harsh climate and insufficient rainfall. According to the figures given by the Niger Ministry of the Economy, only 8% of the land has an annual precipitation of more than 21 inches; 16% of the land has between 14 and 21 inches; 28% between 4 and 14 inches; and 48% receives less than 4 inches. (In Arizona and New Mexico, the normal annual precipitation is 7.12 and 8.68 inches respectively.) Production is thus concentrated in a zone which occupies only a quarter of the country's total area.
The Problem of Food Production The first problem, therefore, was to win the battle against famine and malnutrition. Because lack of rain in a given area has been known to cut the average yield of millet per acre to one tenth the normal amount, it was of primary importance to insure a regular supply of food and to prevent famines such as those which claimed many victims during the 1930's. Libye
% % I Saharan Departments "V * \
& W » BILMA
yy. Air Massif I & ■ • ELMAKI
Rep. of Mali • AGADES
Rep. of Chad
» TANOUT «
(SS, G®
$ Tin
ftV) Tungsten
PRINCIPAL Peanuts
^ Cotton ECONOMIC f? Stock raising
Niger River
RESOURCES Area of rice production
19 While little could be done about the natural environment and the lack of rain, men could be trained to adapt themselves to the circumstances and the soil could be improved. At first provident societies and storage granaries were organized, which en¬ couraged farmers to save some of their crops in good years for consumption during the bad years. At the present time, Rural Mutual Associations and Mutual Production Associations—through loans of seed and sometimes of cash—are able to mitigate the shortage of seed or food. Millet and sorghum are the basis of the local diet. Total production was 600,000 tons in 1958. Most of the sorghum is consumed locally but a surplus of approximately 40,000 tons of millet a year is usually available for export. Cassava, recently introduced by the French, and beans, rice, corn, onions and vegetables are the other food crops.
The emphasis has been laid — first by the French and recently by the Niger authorities—on soil conservation rather than on improved farming methods. New land has been put into cultivation in the river valleys and basins of the East and irrigation systems have been constructed. From 1947 to 1959, more than $10 million were granted by FIDES for hydraulic works, farm development, the protection and breeding of livestock and the cultivation of rice, cereals and peanuts. Cash Crops As the food problem began to be solved and the specter of famine disappeared, an attempt was made to introduce cash crops which would enable Niger to develop an export trade and to start local industries.
Peanuts — This seemed to be the crop best suited to the country and, during the past ten years, more and more land has been turned over to its cultivation in the eastern part of Niger. The acreage devoted to this purpose rose from 482,000 acres in 1954 to 803,000 in 1958. Production also has risen dramatically, but the amounts exported vary from year to year depending on rainfall and price fluctuations.
EXPORTS OF PEANUTS ■ Crop Year Tons Exported 1955-56 97,800
1956-57 79,100
1957-58 100,200
1958-59 80,265
1959-60 57,556
21
In addition to bringing $8,097,000 a year in cash income to the farmers, this new crop has furnished another $810,000 to carriers, middlemen, processors and buyers and $1,457,000 in export duties, or 10% of the total budget of Niger. These revenues were possible only because France bought peanuts at a price above the world market. Cotton—In order to keep Niger from being too dependent on the peanut crop, another cash crop—cotton—was introduced beginning in 1955. The French Company for the Development of Textile Fibers, set up in Niger in 1956, dis¬ tributes seed, shows the farmers how to cultivate the crop, and handles the marketing, ginning and baling. Production has increased rapidly as may be seen from the accompanying chart. The target of the Niger Government is to raise production to 3,000 tons of seed or 1,000 tons of fiber during the next few years.
COTTONSEED PRODUCTION
Year Tons
1956 218 1957 345 1958 912 1959 1,257
The Birmi quarter in Zinder Herd of camel near N'Guigmi
Stock Raising Stock raising is Niger's second most important economic activity. Judging from livestock figures alone it might seem to constitute the country's chief source of wealth. The Niger Ministry of Stock Raising estimates that there are 3,500,000 head of cattle, 6,800,000 head of sheep and goats and 350,000 camels in the country. However, because of the methods of stock raising practised by the nomads, this is for the time being only a potential source of wealth. The quality of the stock is impaired by the continual wandering in search of watering places, by the dearth of pasturage and especially by the endemic diseases — such as parasites, cattle plague, anthrax, pneumonia — which, although they are beginning to be
24 Herd of cattle belonging to the Borroro people
fei s % mm
Wmm I PÉ m ; -• S&* "
controlled, still claim many victims. Furthermore, the attitude of the stock raisers—most of whom are Peuls, whose unwillingness to sell their livestock is well known—has made it difficult to introduce a more rational exploitation of livestock which could represent a considerable source of wealth to the nation as a whole. The action undertaken to this end, both by France and later by the Government of Niger, has doubtless had appreciable results, but only a small percentage of the total number of livestock has been affected. In addition to using live animals as beasts of burden and for milk, butter and cheese for local consumption, the Niger authorities at the present time are plan¬ ning to concentrate their efforts on developing meat as an export and on producing leather and hides.
25 A modem water-supply point
Meat Production — Beginning in 1955, the French Administration made a great effort to create the means of shipping meat under refrigeration between the regions in Niger where cattle are slaughtered and the ports in other countries through which the meat could be exported. The setting up of such an industry ran into many difficulties: the necessity of cold storage depots at points of origin and of desti¬ nation; the problem of suitable freight for the return trip; the impossibility, be¬ cause of international regulations on cattle plague, of exporting to countries other than those of the African coastal regions, etc. In spite of all these difficulties, Niger exported 466 tons of meat in 1958. The competent services of the Niger Government intend to increase this ton¬ nage considerably. A modern refrigerated slaughter house financed by FAC has just been completed in Niamey. On the advice of French experts who have recently gone to Niger to study the problems involved in the marketing of meat, the Ministry of Stock Raising is planning to set up, in each of Niger's economic regions, a refrigerated slaughter house with an area of rich pasture land nearby. Further studies of the problems of watering and pasturing stock are necessary. What is envisaged is to replace nomad stock raising by a more modern ranching system, making it possible to increase annual meat exports to 1,500 tons.
Leather and Hides — The Republic of the Niger is fortunate in the high quality of its leathers and hides. The label "Maradi goat" is as prized as that of "Sokoto goat" in Nigeria. A large exporter, Niger in 1958 sent 525,000 goatskins to France, western European countries and the United States; the income from their sale for the same year can be estimated at $972,000. The construction of new combination slaughter houses and drying plants, and the improved methods of treating the skins used by graduates of the recently established Maradi School of Leather and Hides will appreciably increase the amount of exports in the years to come. The results achieved in this domain would not have been possible without the financial aid of France, which through FIDES and now through the O.C.R.S. has made continual efforts to improve the quality of livestock. The Central Laboratory in Niamey is working on the problems of health protection and periodic vaccina¬ tions are now being given. The O.C.R.S. has also sunk wells and constructed watering troughs in the pasture lands.
Department of Public Works building in Niamey
Industry Mining is relatively unimportant. The tin and tungsten deposits in the Air Mountains, exploited by the Dahomey-Niger Mining Company, produce only 80 tons of ore annually. In an effort to introduce a processing industry, three oil mills were built in the peanut growing region in the towns of Maradi, Matameye and Magaria. The Maradi plant, operated by the Industrial and Commercial Company of Niger (Siconiger), can at present grind 6,500 tons of peanuts; production can be raised to 9,000 tons by the addition of another press. The Matameye plant, set up by the Niger Oil Mill Company, mills 4,500 tons with a potential of 8,000 tons. The Magaria plant, set up in 1959 by the Magaria Food Industry Company, has a potential capacity of 9,000 tons annually. Finally, construction of a fourth plant, in Dungass, has just been authorized. Thus Niger can already process locally a part of its peanut crop (20,000 tons). However, the development of these industries encounters several obstacles, in addition to transportation difficulties. The most serious problem is that of finding buyers for the oil produced which, because of the disparity in world prices, has a market only in France. The Government of Niger will determine whether it pays to develop this oil industry rather than to export its peanuts unprocessed. The competent eco¬ nomic services are at present investigating this question. Finally, in the domain of the textile industry, the French Company for the Improvement of Textile Fibers built a cotton gin in Maradi with a potential capac¬ ity of about 3,000 tons of cottonseed. It has been operating successfully since 1958.
28 Servicing a plane at the MfMssne Niamey airport
Transportation This rapid survey of Niger's industrialization shows that the country is still in an early stage of development and cannot satisfy its local needs for manufactured goods. Thus Niger has to resort to imports and, since it is a landlocked country, this poses the problem of transportation routes. Niger is difficult to reach since the Sahara still constitutes a barrier to the north, and the east and west are bordered by the Republics of Chad and Mali, which themselves are poor countries and have inadequate transportation facilities. Al¬ most the only means of access is from the south through the Ivory Coast, Dahomey or Nigeria. Since 1953 an increasing tonnage of peanuts has been exported from Niger through the Dahomey railroad and the port of Cotonou. This was made possible by the improvement of the Maradi-Dosso road and its extension to Parakou in Dahomey, terminus of the railroad from Cotonou. FIDES assigned more than $6 million for highway improvements which made it possible, in particular, to construct a bridge across the Niger between Gaya and Malanville in 1958. Thus the carrying of goods over this new route, which had been slow when ferry boats were used to cross the river, was considerably speeded up.
29 The Niger Government, aware of the importance of this project and eager to work in close cooperation with the Republic of Dahomey, one of its three partners in the Council of the Entente, has just concluded an agreement with the Govern¬ ment of that country providing for the establishment of a "Joint Dahomey-Niger Organization for Railroads and Transportation." Now that the port facilities of Cotonou are under construction, the Niger lead¬ ers are considering extending the railroad from Parakou to Dosso in order to reinforce this route and to link the eastern and western parts of their own country closer together. France, which wants to help the young economy of Niger insofar as possible to become self-reliant, is going to finance these projects through the intermediary of FAC or the European Development Fund.
TRANSPORTATION Libya
Saharan Departments
I Borders Capital of the Republic Main Roads "Secondary roads Niger River Airports
Rep. of Chad
Upper Volta ♦
TO PORTO NOVO
Rep. of Dahomey
30 Niger's economy needs to become further industrialized; to break its geographic isolation through better means of transportation; to increase its production of both food and industrial crops; to make better use of its livestock. As the Niger Minister of the Economy wrote recently : "The Government of the Niger is fully aware of the task to be done and has resolved to bring all the neces¬ sary means into play in order to reach the goal it has set itself; to improve the standard of living of its populations under the reign of liberty and in association with the member States of the Community that share its ideal of progress and of justice."
Niamey Post, Telegraph and Telephone office Foreign Trade
The Republic of the Niger has a very favorable balance of trade; there was a credit balance of $7,143,000 in 1958. Peanuts account for more than 80% of the value of exports. Livestock on the hoof are next in importance. France and the other countries of the Franc Area take 4/5 of Niger's exports and furnish almost 3/5 of its imports.
IMPORTS IN 19581
Value
Total $10,952,000 Franc Area 6,190,,000 All Other Countries 4,762, ooO
Main Imports Tonnage Value Food 8,100 $2,514,000 Consumer Goods 3,000 3,847,000 Fuel, Energy 8,800 485,000 Raw Materials and Semi- Finished Articles 13,700 1,695,000 Capital Goods 2,500 1,647,000
EXPORTS IN 1958
Value
Total $18,095,000 Franc Area 14,047,000 All Other Countries 4,048,000
Main Exports Tonnage Value Peanuts (Shelled Nuts and Oil) 90,600 $15,715,000 Livestock on the Hoof 10,300 1,190,000 Miscellaneous (Tin, Hides, etc.) 400 1,190,000 •Il
(( TJT'HAT French tradition has contributed to our * ' Niger tradition, this successful marriage of dif¬ ferent cultures, constitute the firmest pledge of our mutual esteem and of our heartfelt friendship . . . "The former colonizing power knew how to reveal and to attain the genuine potentialities that every man possesses within himself, to enable them to develop freely, and finally to make possible the passing of the subordinate State to its definitive status in peace, order and discipline." President Hamani Diori (On Niger's Independence Day, August 3, 1960) A home in Zinder A grove of palm trees il fassüsssst'1* "*sr—W &. jwfwkmíâWII!^
*î
i -" <&» ÇÏÎÎ
Administration building in Niamey A reed hut in the village of N'Guigmi
Head of antelope-sculptured in wood
Published in October, 1960, by Ambassade de France, Service de Presse et d'Information, 972 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y,
Litho in U.S.A. by Ardlee Service, Inc., New York