Niger

Since 1987

Niger has more than 22 million inhabitants for a surface area of 1,267,000 km2. The country is one of the poorest in the world: with an HDI of 0.400, it ranks 189th out of 191, and remains one of the most unstable countries in the region. Since 1987, MAP has carried out several projects in the country, starting with the construction of the “Prince Albert Dispensary”, then a mother-child annex, in an underprivileged area of Agadez, isolated from any health service, which will be designated by UNICEF as the official distribution point for essential medicines for the entire north of the country. Several projects followed, such as the construction of a Child and Maternal Protection Centre in Kiota in 1998, a large school complex for 1,200 pupils in 1999, the drilling of wells and the purchase of livestock to enable nomadic families to remain independent. With the support and monitoring of our trusted local coordinator, Mr. Aghali Abdou, several projects to develop market gardens and a cattle farm in these desert regions have been carried out with great success, and remain recurrent to this day, all the more so in the context of the prevailing climate emergency. MAP has had strong links with the country since 1985, through several key projects such as the construction of schools, mainly in the north, the drilling of drinking water wells and helping widows through training in hairdressing, embroidery, sewing and childcare.

Mission

Agahli Abdou's visit to Monaco in October 2022.

Projects in Niger

Construction of market garden wells with solar pumps

The project provides for the development of an agricultural site in the Agadez region through the installation of a solar-powered drainage system to contribute to the food security and income of producers. In Niger, access to water is a major concern, a problem exacerbated by global warming which requires a rethink of traditional well drilling. Indeed, it is now necessary to drill to a depth of 60 metres, as opposed to 18 metres previously, in order to access the water table. In the face of environmental challenges, agriculture under irrigation remains the main survival activity for local populations, associated with animal farming and breeding small ruminants. As part of this project, the agricultural sites have been chosen because of their fort potential for agricultural development based on solar energy, the possibility of developing fruit growing, and the high quality of the soil.ossibility of developing fruit farming, and the motivation of producers and their experiences with sustainable agricultural practices.

Objectives

Beneficiaries

Activities carried out

Recent funding

Development of market gardens in the Goofat and Attri valleys

In the Agadez region, the development of gardening or market gardening is linked to the decline of the traditional activities of nomadic populations (livestock – caravan) and today constitutes a reconversion activity for many heads of household. This is why it is called a “subsistence activity” that will eventually evolve into commercial agriculture. The Attri and Goofat production basins have great potential for agricultural development in order to guarantee food security for the population. This project to strengthen the agricultural production capacity of the communities consolidates previous investments made by MAP in these areas, whose impact on improving the living conditions of the communities is felt daily.