The government of Niger, the African Development Bank and several other stakeholders have begun a review of the country's 2018-2022 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) and 2022 portfolio performance review, which are both completed.

The parties also started discussions on the new country programming for the next five years (2023-2027).

Some 60 senior officials from government agencies, experts from the African Development Bank Group and representatives of the private sector and civil society are participating in the review, which began on 21 June in Niamey and will continue until July 7. The goal of the 2018-2022 CSP was to catalyze the achievement of Niger's 2017-2021 Economic and Social Development Plan through 2 pillars: promoting the economy's competitiveness to create jobs, and developing agriculture to foster sustainable and inclusive growth.

At the opening ceremony, John Andrianarisata, African Development Bank Country Manager in Niger, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning of Niger, Saadou Bakoye, lauded the excellent cooperation between the Bank and Niger.

Andrianarisata welcomed "the opportunity to assess, with the government and other stakeholders, the results achieved in the implementation of the Niger Country Strategy Paper and how it has contributed to achieving the objectives of the government's 2017-2021 Economic and Social Development Plan." He said the meeting would enable participants to "review in depth the performance of the Bank's portfolio in Niger in 2022 and engage in the necessary consultations with stakeholders on the prospects for the Bank's strategic interventions under the 2023-2027 Country Strategy Paper."

At the opening of the meeting on June 21, 2022, (from right to left), Mr. Kalidou Diallo, Country Economist at the African Development Bank in Niger; Dr. John Andrianarisata, Country Manager of the Bank, Mr. Saadou Bakoye, Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and Mr. Iro Souléye, Advisor to the Ministry of Planning.

The Country Manager said the review showed encouraging results despite a difficult context and the delay in the start of the two major infrastructure projects amounting to $161 million. The two projects entail opening up the Hamdara-Wacha-Dungass cross-border production areas, and the Tamaske-Tahoua and Tamaske-Marraraba Road Development Project.

He said the Bank Group approved ten operations valued at $369 million, comprising agriculture, transport and governance sectors and noted that the portfolio's performance was deemed satisfactory, with a rating of 3.14 on a scale of 1 to 4.

Secretary General Bakoye said: "The objectives set for this mission will be fully achieved and the 2023-2027 Country Strategy Paper will be perfectly aligned with the strategic orientations of the 2022-2026 Economic and Social Development Programme adopted by the [Niger] government."

The African Development Bank Group's portfolio in Niger shows a predominance of transport (39%), followed by rural development (26%), energy (24%), telecommunications (7%), governance (2%) and social (2%). As of 31 May 2022, the Group's active portfolio stood at $693 million.