Niamey, Niger

Niamey is the capital of the Republic of Niger, a landlocked West African country partially located in the Sahara Desert. As its largest city, Niamey is Niger's political, economic, and cultural center. However, Niamey suffers from extreme poverty, unhealthy living conditions, and a poor economy largely dependent on foreign aid.

Landscape

Niamey is situated on the banks of the Niger River in southwestern Niger. It is located in the small portion of the country that descends into the semi-arid Sahel zone south of the Sahara Desert. The geography of southern Niger as a whole is characterized by low-lying sandstone plateaus, basins, and valleys irrigated by seasonal rivers. The city itself is located in a region known for the cultivation of pearl millet, which is a cereal crop.

Niamey has an area of about 239 square kilometers (92 square miles), only 88 square kilometers (34 square miles) of which is urbanized. It consists of three administrative districts: Commune 1 on the left (north) bank to the north and northwest; Commune 2 on the left bank to the south and southeast; and Commune 3 on the right (south) bank to the south and southwest. Commune 3 was urbanized after the building of the Kennedy Bridge in 1970, the first bridge to span the Niger River in Niamey. Commune 3 is undergoing the most rapid growth of all three communes.

The Niger River flows through the center of Niamey at an elevation of roughly 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level. Its right bank is lower than its left, causing Commune 3 to flood frequently, as it often does during the May to October rainy season. In addition, a network of poorly maintained open sewer canals criss-cross urbanized areas in Niamey and drain untreated sewage directly into the Niger River, the water source upon which Niamey residents depend for consumption and sanitation.

Due to its location in the Sahel zone and its proximity to the Niger River, Niamey has a tropical climate and experiences cooler temperatures and more rainfall than the extremely hot and dry regions of northern Niger. The dry season extends from November to February, and the rainy season extends from May through October. Niamey's average annual temperature is 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit).

According to the World Bank, climate change has caused the temperature in Niger to rise 1.5 times faster than in the rest of the world. This has negatively affected agricultural production, which is depended upon by 80 percent of the population.

People

In 2022, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the urban area of Niamey had an estimated population of 1.384 million people. That same year, Niger had an estimated population of over 24 million people.

A significant percentage of Niamey residents are Muslim, and are of Hausa and Djerma-Songhai ethnicity, while Fulanis, Tuaregs, and French ex-patriots are also present, to a lesser extent. French is the official language and is used in schools, while Hausa, Djerma, Fula, and Tamashek are commonly spoken in the home and workplace. Niamey is also home to small communities of Christians, Baha'is, and animists.

Niamey has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, and it is not uncommon for businesses to use only pictures to advertise their services and goods. Popular holidays include Independence Day, which is August 3 and commemorates the country's 1960 independence from France; Muslim holidays such as Mouloud and Ramadan; Republic Day (December 18); and the May 24th birthday of Queen Victoria, former ruler of Great Britain.

Economy

Niamey's status as Niger's commercial and financial center is due in large part to the city's role as a river port and trade center. Primary industries in the city include textiles, leather goods and metal products, while the manufacture of construction materials such as brick, cement, and ceramic goods is also prevalent. In addition, Niamey is the export center for uranium, agricultural products, and textiles. A small portion of Niamey's labor force is employed by the government, but most work as traders, craftspeople, and merchants. Niger's tourism industry is relatively underdeveloped and relegated to Niamey.

Nonetheless, Niger remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with many factors contributing to its economic problems: being landlocked; poor soil quality and long periods of drought resulting in reduced crop yield and devastating famines; a lack of natural resources and arable land; an inability to attract foreign investment; and an unskilled and undereducated local workforce employed primarily in subsistence farming. In 2022, for example, 42.9 percent of Niger's population lived in poverty, earning less than $1.90 per day.

During the 1970s, Niamey reaped the benefits of Niger's uranium boom, and was able to fund citywide improvements until an international loss of interest in uranium mining occurred in the 1980s. Nigerien officials remained optimistic that a rise in the price of uranium in the early twenty-first century, coupled with the opening of new mines, would boost Niger's economy. In the meantime, several projects were underway to develop Niamey's infrastructure with the help of foreign aid, most notably from France. However, by the second decade of the twenty-first century, the price of uranium was low and while uranium exports were still significant, the economy remained stagnant. The government hoped to explore further deposits of uranium as well as other natural resources, including through issuing mining permits to international companies.

Niger has numerous natural resources, including oil. In 2011, the country began refining its sizable reserves, and the exportation of petroleum was expected to grow. Since PetroChina began oil production in the country in 2011, China has spent billions of dollars in the country on oil and uranium exploration. The construction of the longest pipeline of its kind in Africa began in 2019 to facilitate the exportation of crude oil from the area. In 2023, the gas company Sinopec entered into an agreement with the goverment of Niger to pursue its resources.

Landmarks

The two main attractions in Niamey are the Musée National du Niger (the National Museum of Niger) and the Grand Mosque. The National Museum is one of West Africa's preeminent museums and features exhibits on the natural and cultural history of Niger in outdoor pavilions built in the Hausa architectural style, an Islamic architectural style popular in the country. There is also a small zoo on the grounds and an artisan's market where craft-making techniques are demonstrated. The Grand Mosque is an Islamic mosque east of the city center. Financed by Muammar al-Qaddafi, the leader of Libya since 1969, it is a source of civic pride with its beautiful domes, elaborate interior pillars, and tall minarets.

Niamey is home to several noteworthy marketplaces, the largest of which is the Grand Marché (the Grand Market). Located in the city center on the left bank of the Niger River, the Grand Marché contains nearly two thousand small shops and one thousand vendor stalls that sell everything from household goods, bicycle parts, clothing, textiles, and sewing notions to sundries, enamelware, and food. The Grand Marché that stands today is a modern version of the old market that burned down in 1982. It is open every day of the year except on Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, an Islamic holiday.

The Petit Marché (the Little Market), near the Grand Marché in the city center, is a smaller marketplace that predominantly sells fruits, vegetables, and meat. It has an array of restaurant stalls that serve inexpensive meals to shoppers.

History

Before colonization by the French military at the turn of the twentieth century, Niger was broken up into independent kingdoms and empires that warred and traded with each other. The Songhai Empire extended from the Niger River to the Niger-Mali border, the Kanem-Bornu Empire was located to the east, and between them in the central regions were small Hausa kingdoms.

The French set up military posts throughout Niger, designating it a French military territory around the year 1900. Their presence effectively toppled the Songhai and Kanem-Bornu empires, and they maintained control mainly due to their superior firepower. The French chose a small agricultural village inhabited by Maouris, Djermas and Fulanis to be their administrative center. Niame, or Niamey, as it was later called, was Niger's administrative center until 1911, when the seat of power was transferred to the town of Zinder. In 1927, five years after France officially recognized Niger as a French colony, Niamey was named the capital.

The French colonists drafted two urban plans for Niamey: the first one, completed in 1905, expanded the city around the Niger River; the second one, completed in 1937, set aside land to be developed separately for Europeans and for "natives," segregating the city by race. The colonists constructed hospitals, schools, and markets as well as lavish government buildings and residences for government officials and their families. The colonial era ended in 1960 when Niger, as well as many other African nations, became an independent republic. Niamey, which had grown from a population of 2,000 in 1940 to a population of 30,000 in 1960, remained its capital.

The discovery and mining of uranium in the northern regions of the country, largely considered inhospitable and economically unimportant, boosted Niamey's economy in the 1970s, triggering a population and economic boom that led to the construction of public facilities and infrastructure. A decline in the uranium industry in the early 1980s, however, ushered in an era of economic instability that has plagued Niamey ever since. In 2005, Niamey hosted the Francophone Games, an athletic competition between French-speaking countries similar to the Olympics. For the event, the government spent large sums of money to make city-wide improvements, despite criticism that the money could be better spent on replenishing dwindling food stores.

As part of efforts made by the UN Refugee Agency, beginning in late 2017, thousands of refugees reportedly kept in detention centers had been evacuated from Libya and brought to Niamey, where they could receive aid in relocating to another country.

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