Overview

In September 2017, Niger adopted a new Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES), which the World Bank used as a basis for preparing its Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with Niger for the 2018-2022 period.  The World Bank’s strategy in Niger is based on three pillars:

•  Boosting productivity and income in rural areas;
•  Developing human capital and social protection; and
•  Strengthening governance.

The goal is to help preserve and scale up economic and social development in Niger by tackling the obstacles that impede growth and poverty reduction efforts. The World Bank’s strategy also takes into account the risks of fragility, conflict, and violence by supporting Niger's response to the existing crises and helping calm growing tensions. 

In February 2020, the World Bank was financing 20 national projects and 8 regional projects valued at a total of $2.38 billion (grants and loans included).  These projects support the development of several sectors:

• water and sanitation (18%);
• mining and energy (16%);
• assistance with reforms (15%);
• agriculture (13%);
• health and nutrition (10%);
• social protection and employment (5%);
• urban development, disaster management, and resilience (9%);
• poverty and equitable growth (1%);
• education (4%);
• finance and competitiveness (2%);
• environment and natural resources (3%);
• governance (2%); and
• transport and infrastructure (2%).

The Niger Refugees and Host Communities Support Project (PARCA), aimed at improving access to basic services and economic opportunities for refugees and host populations, was approved in September 2018. Moreover, Niger benefits from special financing mechanisms from the International Development Association (IDA), which were designed to help low-income countries respond to a significant flow of refugees, as well as additional financing aimed at addressing factors contributing to fragility and violence.

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

In recent years, IFC has committed to identifying the means to support private sector development in one of the most challenging markets in Africa.

In 2016, the Management Advisory Service (MAS) launched an irrigation project in the agrifood sector to spur private investment in irrigated agriculture as part of the Sahel Irrigation Initiative. Efforts were intensified in late 2017 with the organization of the Niger Renaissance Conference in Paris, which garnered large-scale participation by the private sector. 

Building on this momentum, in early 2019, the MAS team established consultative support for about 20 small and medium enterprises in order to enhance their ability to mobilize funds for local financial intermediaries (including IFC clients).

Last Updated: Apr 17, 2020

The following are some examples of progress made possible by World Bank financing:

Education

The World Bank is providing technical and financial support to the education sector to boost human capital in Niger. These efforts have helped expand access to education, increase pupil retention rates, and improve the quality of the teaching staff as well as learning outcomes in basic education and vocational training. Implementation of the Quality Education Support Project (PAEQ 2015-2019) has helped with the construction of 1,187 classrooms and the education of 59,350 pupils, of whom 29,675 are girls.

Through the Skills Development for Growth Project (PRODEC), more than 3,000 out-of-school young people were enrolled in the dual apprenticeship program, 31% of whom are female. According to a PRODEC assessment finalized in late 2018, the entrepreneurship training offered new professional opportunities to 71.5% of beneficiaries.

Social Safety Nets

The objective of the Safety Net Project for Niger is to establish and support an effective safety net system that will help increase access for poor people and those vulnerable to food insecurity to cash transfer and “cash for work” programs. Over 1 million people in total have benefited directly from the project, which has resulted in several achievements:

• Cash transfers were implemented in all regions of the country. In total, 98,747 households benefited from cash transfers, for an overall total of $47 million;
• The establishment of "cash for work" activities helped support 50,256 households to the tune of $12 million. More than 700 community assets were also built or restored;
• Transfers were implemented in response to the shocks for approximately 5,000 households in the regions of Diffa and Agadez;
• Support and outreach measures were implemented to promote behavior change among 87,331 households, as well as productive support measures for more than 16,700 households.

Water, hygiene, sanitation (WASH)

In June 2016, financing totaling $35 million for the Urban Water and Sanitation Project (PEAMU) helped more than 893,500 people gain access to potable water, 52% of whom were women. Moreover, 67,560 pupils of the 86,940 targeted by the project had access to an improved sanitation system in their schools, and 708 latrines were constructed for teachers.

The major infrastructure project financed under this project was the construction of a waste sludge treatment plant in Niamey, which was launched in December 2018. A second waste sludge treatment plant was also built in Niamey. The use of these plants, which alone will receive almost half of the wastewater from households, will help improve living conditions and the environment in the capital.

Last Updated: Apr 17, 2020

The World Bank collaborates with various multilateral agencies and donors such as the Agence française de développement, the African Development Bank, and the European Union to coordinate its support for Niger's development.

Last Updated: Apr 17, 2020