The Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, visited Niger on Wednesday 30 March, the first stop on her trip to West Africa, before moving on to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. She was accompanied by the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, Emanuela Claudia del Re. This visit “allowed the reaffirmation of the solidity of the partnership between the EU and Niger as well as the launch of several projects in key areas”, the Commission said at the end of the visit.
Discussions with the President of the Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, included support for stability and security in Niger and the region, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on security and food prices.
In 2022, Ms Urpilainen and Niger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Hassoumi Massaoudou, signed financing agreements for €300 million to support and promote the joint priorities of the Niger-EU partnership.
Nigeria will also benefit from a €195 million budget support programme to strengthen institutions and support its reform programme, in line with the EU's integrated strategy for the Sahel (see EUROPE 12701/6).
The amount of €50 million will support the presence of the state and strengthened local governance, as well as security and socio-economic services for the benefit of the populations in the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso, which has been weakened by terrorism.
€50 million will fund support for education and job creation, especially for girls and women, in the regions of Maradi, Niamey and Agadez, by helping to get the estimated 2.6 million out-of-school students back into learning and to provide training and economic opportunities for young people.
In addition, there is a €5 million cross-cutting technical cooperation facility. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)