Information on Niger

Information on Niger furnishes details about every aspect of the country's economy. A perfunctory look at the information on Niger helps in getting, more or less an overview of Niger's economic development in various sectors.

Niger's sectoral growth:

Agriculture: The economy of Niger thrives on the diverse farming activities carried over on about 2.8% of the total land area in Niger. This sector offers employment to a considerable part of the country's population. Following the severity of the droughts in 1968-75, the agriculture productivities are being increased through the introduction of measures like off-season irrigation of the arable lands. As a result, the country has become self-sufficient with respect to the production of food crops in the 1980s. The following chart traces the growth of Niger agricultural productivities at different phases:

Years	Growth in Productivities in the Agricultural Sector of Niger (in %)
1992-1993	64%
1990-2000	3.2%

The agricultural sector accounts for 41% of Niger's GDP.

Livestock raising also forms a significant aspect of the national economy.

Industries: Exploitation and mining of the vast reserves of uranium has not only led to the development of uranium industry in Niger, but has made the nation, the leading producer of uranium in the world. As many as 3 mines on Niger mainland are engaged in mining uranium and employs a large share of the population. However, the uranium industry underwent severe setbacks in early 1980s, owing to a sharp fall in the market prices of uranium. Other prominent industries in Niger include the following:

• Chemical industry
• Making of metal furniture
• Production of foods
• Manufacture of agricultural machinery
• Handicrafts industry on a relatively small-scale
• Textile industry and making of cotton garments

In 2001, about 17% of Niger's GDP was derived from the varied industrial activities.

International Trade: Niger's foreign trading activities is the principal source of generating foreign revenues in the country. Details about the nation's foreign trade in 2005 are furnished below:

Export Commodities	Major Export Partners
Uranium ores	France (45.7%)
Onions	Nigeria (20.4%)
Cowpeas	United States (19.4%)
Automobile parts	Switzerland (4.6%)

Commodities imported	Principal Suppliers
Petroleum	France (16.5%)
Food products	Côte d'Ivoire (10%)
Industrial goods	Nigeria (6.3%)
Consumers products	China (5.4%)

In 2005, income generated from the exports were worth $505 million f.o.b., while that of imports were $664 million f.o.b.

Other information on Nigeria economy:

• Total GDP (2005): $3.4 billion
• Per capita growth of GDP (2005): $1,000
• Real growth of GDP (2005): 7%
• GDP from service sector (2001): 44%
• Average rate of inflation (2004): 6.6%
• Population below poverty line (1993): 63%

Chief financial donors:

1. World Bank
2. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
3. UNICEF
4. UNFPA
5. FAO
6. WFP
7. UNDP
8. The EU countries
9. Agencies of the United Nation