Alongside neighboring states Mali, Libya and Nigeria, Niger had seemed like an anchor of stability. After a coup in 2010, things seemed to be moving forward again. But now a power struggle threatens to halt the progress.
For Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou it is a breakthrough. After months of negotiations the biggest deal of his presidency has now been clinched. On Monday (26.05.2014) French company Areva, which specializes in nuclear and renewable energy, extended its contract and also agreed to pay higher taxes in future for the extraction of uranium ore in Niger. The company is also willing to invest more than 100 million euros ($136 million) in the development of the impoverished west African country.
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