Terrorism and declining growth: Niger in the spiral of economic crisis
Rue du Nigeria (Rue NM-4) in the Nouveau Marché district in Niamey, Niger, in 2018 © NigerTZai / wikimedia
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2 min
With less than 6,000 cases of Covid-19 recorded for 195 deaths, Niger is one of the least affected countries from a health point of view, but its economy is one of the most affected.
And the impact of the pandemic has worsened the incidence of insecurity on production and amplified the number of Nigeriens who fall into very great precariousness.
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This is an alarming observation that the World Bank draws up for Niger.
This Sahelian country must solve two equations, but alone, it does not have the necessary formulas to revive its economy, weighed down by the coronavirus pandemic and the persistence of terrorist attacks.
Although one of the poorest countries in the world has not fallen into recession, it is one of those that has suffered the most from the global health crisis.
Its growth fell from 5.9% in 2019 to 3.6% in 2020. This is not a dramatic drop, but in the case of Niger, it has translated into the slipping of 400,000 people into poverty. extreme, according to the World Bank.
The institution warns that this number could increase, with 200,000 additional poor, due to strong population growth.
The other major problem remains insecurity.
Since 2015, the closure of several markets to cut off the jihadists' sources of supplies has contributed to the slowdown of the real economy locally.
But the recovery could come this year, hopes the World Bank, which expects a rebound of 5.5% of the Nigerien economy, under the impetus of the reopening of the border with Nigeria.
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Niger
Poverty
Economy