Highlights

• Niger possesses significant mineral wealth, particularly uranium, with emerging potential in rare earth elements and battery minerals.
• Political instability since the 2023 military coup has created high investment risks, including mining license revocations and nationalizations.
• The country aims to develop a balanced strategy for critical minerals development, focusing on international partnerships and local value creation.

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Niger possesses significant mineral wealth, most notably uranium, and has early signs of potential in other critical minerals. Rare earth elements (REEs) – essential for technologies like electronics, renewable energy, and defense – are not yet produced in Niger, though government surveys indicate possible occurrences. As global demand for critical minerals grows and supply chains look to reduce reliance on China, attention has turned to Africa. This report reviews Niger’s known deposits and mining activity, the political-business climate, and compares Niger’s situation with rare earth development models in Angola and Mozambique.

Rare Earth Exchanges’ (REEx) notes the explosive growth potential of the rare earth element and critical mineral supply chain “ex-China.”

Known Deposits and Exploration (Past Decade)

Uranium – Niger’s flagship critical mineral – has long placed the country among the world's leading uranium suppliers. Historically, Niger contributed around 5% global output, though its rank has fluctuated between the 4th and 7th largest producer depending on the year. Currently, the nation ranks 7th. Two long-running mines near Arlit in the Agadez region (SOMAÏR and COMINAK) together produced more than 155,000 tonnes of uranium by 2022, exploiting some of Africa’s highest-grade ores.

• SOMAÏR (open-pit, started 1971) was owned 63.4% by France’s Orano and 36.6% by Niger’s state SOPAMIN.
• COMINAK (underground, started 1978) was majority-owned by Orano (~59%) and produced ~75,000 tU before closing in 2021.

New uranium deposits have also been delineated: Canada’s Global Atomic discovered the high-grade Dasa deposit in 2010. It received its mining permit in December 2020; construction began in 2022, and first production is targeted for 2026. Niger’s uranium endowment is substantial – government figures report hundreds of thousands of tonnes U₃O₈ in resources and reserves, ensuring its continued strategic role.

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) – No REE mine exists in Niger today. The government’s extractive industries report notes “terres rares” (rare earths) in the Liptako and Aïr regions, but as “non évaluées” (unquantified). These areas contain Precambrian granite and volcanic complexes that could host REE-bearing minerals. Exploration has been minimal, reflecting generally low REE exploration budgets across Africa. Between 2015 and 2020, Niger issued about 116 exploration permits across various minerals, which may have included rare earth prospects, but no REE resource has been formally delineated as of 2025.

Lithium and Battery Minerals – The Liptako region hosts pegmatites with lithium potential, with government data citing 350,000 tonnes of lithium (oxide equivalent). Nickel (200,000 t potential) is also listed in Liptako, possibly tied to ultramafic rocks. The Aïr mountains contain small tin occurrences, often linked to REE-bearing granites, though unquantified. Other minerals include vanadium (49,000 t V₂O₅), titanium (8 million t, likely ilmenite sands), and phosphates (>1.25 billion tonnes) . None of these have advanced to commercial production; they remain speculative.

Summary

Apart from uranium, most of Niger’s critical mineral potential is still at the early exploration stage. Tangible discoveries of REEs or lithium have not yet been proven under NI 43-101 or JORC standards.

Current Mining Activity and Key Players

• SOMAÏR: Open-pit uranium mine (Arlit) – until 2025 majority-owned by Orano; nationalized mid-2025.
• COMINAK: Underground uranium mine (Akouta) – closed in 2021.
• Dasa(Global Atomic): New high-grade uranium project, aiming for 2026production .
• Madaouela (GoviEx Uranium): Large undeveloped uranium resource; license revoked in 2024, now in arbitration.
• Azelik/SOMINA (CNNC JV): Opened in 2010, placed on care & maintenance by 2015; discussions of restart surfaced in 2024.

Gold: The Samira Hill (SML) gold mine, Niger’s only industrial gold mine, was nationalized in August 2025. Artisanal mining remains widespread.

Coal, cement, tin: Small-scale activity continues, but not export-oriented.

Key players: Historically, Orano (France) was dominant. Recent years saw Global Atomic (Canada) and GoviEx Uranium (Canada) emerge. Chinese partners (CNNC, ZXJOY, KORES) participated in SOMINA. The state’s vehicle SOPAMIN holds minority stakes.

Rare earths: As of 2025, no international company is actively pursuing REE exploration or mining in Niger that REEx could find. But if we learn differently, this will be updated.

Political Stability and Business Climate

Niger’s business climate has deteriorated sharply since the July 2023 coup, when the military (CNSP) seized power.

In 2024, the junta revoked Orano’s Imouraren permit (one of the world’s largest undeveloped uranium resources) and cancelled GoviEx’s Madaouela licence.* In June 2025, the state nationalized the SOMAÏR uranium mine, seizing Orano’s 63% stake.

• In August 2025, the Samira Hill gold mine was also nationalized.

Authorities justify these moves as correcting inequitable contracts and combating smuggling. Nigerian leaders long criticized France for underpaying: advocacy groups such as Oxfam estimated that in 2010, uranium worth €3.5 billion generated only €459 million in Nigerian revenues.

For investors, these measures mean:

• High political risk: abrupt licence withdrawals and expropriations.
• Sanctions nuance: ECOWAS lifted broad sanctions in Feb 2024, but the EU maintains a sanctions framework (since Nov 2023), and the U.S. has suspended most assistance.
• Security concerns: insurgent violence remains a risk, though mines in the north are heavily guarded.

Conclusion

As of 2025, Niger is not considered generally a very stable or broadly conducive environment for foreign mining investment.  But this can change with some adjustments.

Comparative Models from Africa

Angola’s Pensana Model (Longonjo)

• License: 35-year exclusive license granted in 2020.
• Financing: In March 2025, Pensana announced ~US$268 million full project funding, including a loan facility led by the Africa Finance Corporation & Absa, and ~US$38 million equity/convertible loans from Angola’s sovereign wealth fund (FSDEA).

Mozambique’s Monte Muambe Model (Altona Rare Earths)

• Resource: 13.6 Mt JORC resource defined since 2021.
• License: 25-year license granted.
• Outputs: REEs, gallium, and by-product fluorspar (~50,000 t/y target under study).
• Studies: 2023 scoping study suggested ~15,000 t/y MREC; advancing to prefeasibility.
• Support: Altona has applied for U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) support for prefeasibility, aligning with U.S. DoD interest in non-Chinese REE supply.
• Model: Junior-led, supported by Western strategic funding, without government equity stake.

Logical Next Steps for Niger

1. Geological exploration: Expand surveys in Liptako and Aïr to quantify REEs and lithium.
2. Clear critical minerals policy: Update mining code with stable, transparent terms and value-addition requirements.
3. Political stability: Restore contract sanctity; honor arbitration rulings; seek political risk insurance.
4. International partnerships: Re-engage with frameworks like the U.S.-led Mineral Security Partnership or AfCFTA.
5. State participation: Consider a Critical Minerals Fund (modeled on Angola’s FSDEA), with careful technical capacity building.
6. Sustainable development: Ensure revenue sharing (15% local allocation in law), environmental safeguards, and community benefits.

Strategy Outlook: Niger First, Global Partnerships

To unlock its critical mineral potential, Niger should embrace Western investors as partners in exploration, refining, and advanced processing, while safeguarding its national interests. A balanced strategy would invite co-investment in separation and magnet-ready processing facilities – following models like Pensana in Angola – to capture more value locally. By combining sovereign participation, long-term license stability, and international financing, Niger can remain true to its Niger First ethos while positioning itself as a credible supplier of uranium, REEs, and lithium to diversified global markets.

Sources: Niger EITI/Mines Ministry data on mineral potentialitieniger.ne (opens in a new tab)itieniger.ne (opens in a new tab); World Nuclear Association on uranium output and coup impactsworld-nuclear.org (opens in a new tab)world-nuclear.org (opens in a new tab); InvestingNews/PR on Niger’s 2015–20 exploration licensesinvestingnews.com (opens in a new tab); Idrakpost/Brookings on Africa’s rare earth untapped potentialidrakpost.com (opens in a new tab)brookings.edu (opens in a new tab); TRT Global on nationalization of mining assets trt.global (opens in a new tab)trt.global (opens in a new tab); Pensana project updatesinvestingnews.com (opens in a new tab)investingnews.com (opens in a new tab); Energy Capital & Power on Altona’s Monte Muambe progressenergycapitalpower.com (opens in a new tab); Rare Earth Exchanges on U.S. support for Mozambique rare earthswordpress-1542803-6000058.cloudwaysapps.com.