Madar (Niamey) - Niger's government and the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional window of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, signed on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, in Niamey a financing agreement for the second phase of the Energy Sector Governance and Competitiveness Support Programme (PAGSEC-II), state daily Le Sahel reported on Thursday, 29 October.
The agreement is worth 105 million units of account, or 82,127,115,000 CFA francs. It was signed by Economy and Finance Minister Mamane Laouali Abdou Rafa and AfDB country manager Mamadou Tangara.
The minister said the second phase aims to consolidate the gains of the first. It focuses on improving access to energy, the financial viability of the energy sector, private-sector competitiveness and youth entrepreneurship, as well as economic governance and transparency in public finances.
The programme aims to raise access to electricity from 22.53% in 2023 to 30% by the end of 2026, increase manufacturing value added from 7.28% to 8.58% of GDP, lift tax revenue to 9.7% of GDP in 2026 from 8.1% in 2023, and introduce gender-sensitive budgeting in at least three pilot ministries, the minister said.
Tangara said the design of the second phase followed several months of dialogue with Nigerien officials, and that measures implemented by the government since 2024 had contributed strongly to this second round of budget support. He called for energy reforms to continue so that Niger can reach its 2030 targets.
