Economy
GDP (2001): $2.0 billion.
Annual growth rate (2001): 5.1%.
Per capita GDP (2001): $170.
Avg. inflation rate (2001 est.): 4.0%.
Natural resources: Uranium, gold, oil, coal, iron, tin, phosphates.
Agriculture (40% of GDP): Products--millet, sorghum, cowpeas, peanuts, cotton, rice.
Industry (18% of GDP): Types--textiles, cement, soap, beverages.
Trade (1999 est.): Exports (Freight on Board--f.o.b.)--$285 million: uranium, livestock, cowpeas, onions. Major markets--France 39%, Nigeria 29%, Japan 17%, Côte d’Ivoire 5%. Imports (f.o.b.)--$334 million: consumer goods, petroleum, foodstuffs, industrial products. Major suppliers--France 22%, Côte d’Ivoire 15%, China 8%, Nigeria 8%.

Economy of Niger
One of the poorest countries in the world, Niger's economy is based largely on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 3.4% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut an already marginal economy. Traditional subsistence farming, herding, small trading, seasonal migration, and informal markets dominate an economy that generates few formal sector jobs.

Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 18% of the population. Fourteen percent of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production-- camels, goats, sheep and cattle--said to support 29% of the population. The 15% of Niger's land that is arable is found mainly along its southern border with Nigeria. Rainfall varies and when insufficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and food aid to meet food requirements. Although the rains in 2000 were not good, those in 2001 and 2002 were relatively plentiful and well-distributed, contributing to good cereal harvests. Millet, sorghum, and cassava are Niger's principal rainfed subsistence crops. Cowpeas and onions are grown for commercial export, as are limited quantities of garlic, peppers, gum Arabic, and sesame seeds.

Of Niger's exports, foreign exchange earnings from livestock, although impossible to quantify, are second only to those from uranium. Actual exports far exceed official statistics, which often fail to detect large herds of animals informally crossing into Nigeria. Some hides and skins are exported, and some are transformed into handicrafts.

The persistent uranium price slump has brought lower revenues for Niger's uranium sector, although uranium still provides 72% of national export proceeds. The nation enjoyed substantial export earnings and rapid economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s after the opening of two large uranium mines near the northern town of Arlit. When the uranium-led boom ended in the early 1980s, however, the economy stagnated, and new investment since then has been limited. Niger's two uranium mines--SOMAIR's open pit mine and COMINAK's underground mine--are owned by a French-led consortium and operated by French interests.

Exploitable deposits of gold are known to exist in Niger in the region between the Niger River and the border with Burkina Faso. Substantial deposits of phosphates, coal, iron, limestone, and gypsum also have been found. Numerous foreign companies have taken out exploration licenses for concessions in the gold seam in western Niger, which also contains deposits of other minerals. Niger has oil potential. In 1992, the Djado permit was awarded to Hunt Oil, and in 1997 the Tenere permit was awarded to TG World Energy. An ExxonMobil-Petronas joint venture now holds the sole rights to the Agadem block, north of Lake Chad. The latter has encountered encouraging oil shows in some test wells but has not yet found exploitable quantities of oil. The parastatal SONICHAR (Societe Nigerienne de Charbon) in Tchirozerine (north of Agadez) extracts coal from an open pit and fuels an electricity generating plant that supplies energy to the uranium mines. There are additional coal deposits to the South and West that are of a higher quality and may be exploitable.

After the economic competitiveness created by the January 1994 CFA franc devaluation contributed to an annual average economic growth of 3.5% throughout the mid-1990s, the economy stagnated due to the sharp reduction in foreign aid in 1999 (which gradually resumed in 2000) and poor rains in 2000. Reflecting the importance of the agricultural sector, the return of good rains was the primary factor underlying economic growth of 5.1% in 2001 and 3.1% in 2002

In recent years, the Government of Niger promulgated revisions to the investment code (1997 and 2000), petroleum code (1992), and mining code (1993), all with attractive terms for investors. The present government actively seeks foreign private investment and considers it key to restoring economic growth and development. With the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), it has undertaken a concerted effort to revitalize the private sector

Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with six other members of the West African Monetary Union. The Treasury of the Government of France supplements the BCEAO's international reserves in order to maintain a fixed rate of 656 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) to the Euro.

Economic Reform
In January 2000, Niger's newly elected government inherited serious financial and economic problems, including a virtually empty treasury, past-due salaries (11 months of arrears) and scholarship payments, increased debt, reduced revenue performance, and lower public investment. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). In January 2001, Niger reached its Decision Point and is expected to reach its Completion Point in September 2003. Total relief from all of Niger's creditors is worth about U.S.$890 million, corresponding to about U.S.$520 million in Net Present Value (NPV) terms, which is equivalent to 53.5% of Niger’s total debt outstanding as of 2000. The debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative reduces significantly Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing about $40 million per year over the coming years for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. The overall impact on Niger's budget is substantial. Debt service as a percentage of government revenue will be slashed from nearly 44% in 1999 to 10.9% in 2003 and average 4.3% during 2010-19. It cuts debt service as a percentage of export revenue from more than 23% today to 8.4% in 2003, and decreases to about 5%in later years.

In addition to strengthening the budgetary process and public finances, the Government of Niger has embarked on an ambitious program to privatize 12 state-owned companies. To date, five have been fully privatized, including the water and telephone utilities, with the remainder expected to be privatized in 2003. A newly installed multisectoral regulatory agency ensures free and fair competition among the newly privatized companies and their private sector competitors. In its effort to consolidate macroeconomic stability under the PRGF, the government also is taking actions to reduce corruption, and as the result of a participatory process encompassing civil society, has devised a Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan that focuses on improving health, primary education, rural infrastructure, agricultural production, environmental protection, and judicial reform.

Foreign Aid
The most important donors in Niger are France, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF, and other UN agencies--UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, and UNFPA. Other principal donors include the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, China, Italy, Egypt, Denmark, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. While the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $8 million each year to Niger’s development. The United States also is a major partner in policy coordination in such areas as food security and HIV/AIDS. The importance of external support for Niger's development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, derives from donor resources.
source: http://www.state.gov