bassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone: [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64
FAX: [227] 73 31 67

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white,
and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in
the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked
wheel centered in the white band

@Niger:Economy

Economy-overview: Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation,
whose economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry,
reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, its major export
since the 1970s. Terms of trade with Nigeria, Niger's largest regional
trade partner, have improved dramatically since the 50% devaluation of
the West African franc in January 1994; this devaluation boosted
exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's
small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and
multilateral aid for operating expenses and public investment and is
strongly induced to adhere to structural adjustment programs designed
by the IMF and the World Bank. The US terminated bilateral assistance
to Niger after the coup of 1996. Other donors have reduced their aid.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$6.3 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 4.5% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$670 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 41%
industry: 18%
services: 41% (1996)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 5.3% (1996)

Labor force:
total: 70,000 receive regular wages or salaries
by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government
4%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $370 million (including $160 million from foreign sources)
expenditures: $370 million, including capital expenditures of $186
million (1998 est.)

Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals,
slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium
mining

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1994 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 63,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 170 million kWh (1995)
note: imports about 200 million kWh of electricity from Nigeria

Electricity-consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum,
cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys,
horses, poultry

Exports:
total value: $188 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: uranium o