At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, delivered yet another stirring sovereignty speech. Standing before a gathering of international envoys, the junta’s frontline spokesman repeated the familiar slogans of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP): “reclaiming national resources,” “economic independence,” and “breaking with neocolonialism.”
But once the cameras stopped rolling and the rhetoric faded, the harsh arithmetic of reality caught up with the generals in Niamey. Under General Abdourahamane Tiani and his government, Niger’s economic crown jewels have slid into chaotic mismanagement. Behind the patriotic veneer, the industrial track record of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP exposes a financial debacle that is beginning to cost the Nigerien people dearly.
The SOMAÏR collapse: from “reclamation” to uranium’s cardiac arrest
For decades, uranium from Arlit fueled a narrative of resentment. By taking operational control of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR) and sidelining its historic French partner Orano, Tiani and his inner circle promised a financial windfall for the country.
The on-the-ground result has been catastrophic: uranium production has plummeted by roughly 80% since the new authorities took over.
- Broken supply chains: The inability to deliver essential chemical reagents (such as sulfuric acid) and logistical blockages at the borders have paralyzed the Arlit site.
- Commercial bottleneck: Lacking solid distribution networks and reliable export certificates, tons of uranium concentrate (yellowcake) remain stockpiled on site, unsold.
- Immediate social impact: Local subcontractors go unpaid, jobs evaporate, and the tax revenues expected to fund Nigerien hospitals and schools have turned into a mirage.
Changing the flag on a factory gate does not make its machines run. In mining engineering, the amateurism of slogans is no substitute for technical competence and rigorous management.
SONIDEP and the mystery of the 25 billion FCFA black hole
If uranium management amounts to a shipwreck, the oil file borders on a state scandal. The Société Nigérienne des Produits Pétroliers (SONIDEP), catapulted by the CNSP into the heart of the crude marketing strategy — notably through the new giant pipeline to Benin’s coast — was supposed to be the financial engine of this new era.
Yet according to internal balance sheets and progress reports, SONIDEP is posting an abysmal loss estimated at more than 25 billion CFA francs.
That figure alone illustrates the failure of the military management model: on one side, SOMAÏR sees its production collapse by nearly 80%, destroying the added value of the uranium sector along the way; on the other, SONIDEP, meant to reap the fruits of national oil, accumulates a record deficit of 25 billion CFA francs instead of filling state coffers. Together, these two public flagships embody a veritable system of resource evaporation under the cover of illusory nationalism.
How does a national company holding a monopoly on black gold distribution, in a country supposedly becoming a major oil exporter, manage the feat of accumulating such a financial abyss? The absence of certified accounting statements and the oil ministry’s radio silence fuel every suspicion: poor management, dubious negotiated contracts, improvised intermediaries, and overbilling.
Sovereignty cannot be a screen for incompetence
Faced with this industrial rout, the Tiani-Zeine tandem’s reflex is well-oiled: systematically blame ECOWAS, international sanctions, the “invisible hand of imperialism,” or the management of previous regimes.
At some point, the leaders led by Abdourahamane Tiani must answer to their population:
- Where have the audit reports grandly promised at the July 2023 coup gone?
- How are Niger’s oil and uranium sales contracts actually negotiated?
- What exactly are the rare revenues collected by the public treasury used for, if the major state companies are going bankrupt?
True sovereignty of a people is measured by concrete actions and results: public enterprises that create value, salaries paid on time, investment in basic services, and full transparency on public finances.
By using the patriotic argument to mask the failures of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP, the CNSP distorts the very meaning of the word sovereignty. The Nigerien people cannot feed on speeches at the UN: they need an economy that works.