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Niger: West Africa
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Niger enjoyed increased economic competitiveness following the January 1994 devaluation of the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) franc. Annual economic growth rates vary widely, due largely to the effect of rainfall on agricultural output. In 2005 the economy showed strong growth (7.1% real GDP growth) as a result of the agricultural sector's recovery from the poor harvests of 2004, and the continued growth of non-agricultural sectors. In 2006, the real GDP growth rate was at 5.1%.
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Niger's colonial history and development parallel that of other French West African territories. France administered its West African colonies through a governor general in Dakar, Senegal, and governors in the individual territories, including Niger. In addition to conferring French citizenship on the inhabitants of the territories, the 1946 French constitution provided for decentralization of power and limited participation in political life for local advisory assemblies.
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Like WFP, the Government of Niger has suffered from major procurement problems. These difficulties were clearly evidenced when very recently suppliers defaulted on almost 30,000 metric tons (MT) of contracts for cereals because better prices were available elsewhere. WFP is now securing purchases in West African ports and more widely on the international market.
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Niger straddles the Sahel, the unforgiving boundary zone in north-central Africa where the greener climes of the south give way to sandy soil and stunted vegetation and then to the dry silence of the Sahara. At just about any time of the year, it can be a blazing furnace. But Niger is ... a hotbed of fascinating traditional cultures -- which seem to have little in common with each other.
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Niger is a landlocked nation in West Africa located along the border between the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions. Its geographic coordinates are a longitude of 16�N and a latitude off 8�E. Its area is 1.267 million square kilometers, of which 1,266,700 km� is land and 300 km� water. This makes Niger slightly less than twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas.
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The U.S. Government has responded quickly and generously to food insecurity and development challenges in the Sahel region of Africa, including Niger. In fiscal year 2005, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided more than $134 million from the American people to programs that will help improve lives in the Sahel and is working closely with the U.N., the governments of the Sahel and other donor governments. These total funds represent direct assistance to the people of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
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