Madar (Niamey) - Niger's Mines Minister, Col.-Maj. Abarchi Ousmane, met on the afternoon of Tuesday 10 November 2026 in Agadez, in the north of the country, regional and departmental heads of the mining services and other players in the sector, in particular artisanal gold miners, according to the state daily Le Sahel.
The meeting, held at the governorate in the presence of Agadez regional governor Maj. Gen. Ibra Boulama Issa, officials of the grouping of Nigerien semi-mechanised gold mining companies (GS-NESMO) and ministry staff, dealt frankly with several concerns about the organisation and supervision of artisanal gold mining in the region, the newspaper reported.
The minister said that "regaining national sovereignty" necessarily requires better knowledge of natural resources, control over the conditions of their exploitation and monitoring of operators' compliance with their commitments, adding that the aim is to make mining a real lever for transforming the national economy through better mobilisation of public revenue, training of Nigerien skills, promotion of national companies and development of local processing capacity.
Abarchi Ousmane stressed that mining must go hand in hand with particular attention to protecting the environment, water resources, land and people's health.
The miners described their daily realities, the difficulties they face and their expectations of the relevant services for better organisation of their activities. In response, the minister reiterated the need to bring artisanal mining within the legal framework while improving safety at the sites, and asked the mining services to support the miners in their procedures and explain the applicable rules to them.
He also stressed the need to maintain regular consultation between the administration, operators and neighbouring communities, saying that preventing conflict and preserving social peace depend on listening to people at all times and dealing promptly with their concerns.
The Agadez governor, for his part, called for better knowledge and control of the region's mining potential, including its uranium and gold resources, so that the state can define appropriate policies and make better use of this wealth for the national economy.
The meeting is part of the minister's mission to the Agadez region, one of Niger's main mining areas, which includes visits to several mining and artisanal mining sites, the same source said.
