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.