Niger PM Tells UN: ‘Our Uranium Lit Europe While Our Cities Remained in Darkness’

Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, has told the United Nations that the country is taking greater control of its natural resources, declaring that the era in which Niger’s wealth was managed elsewhere is coming to an end. Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, Zeine highlighted Niger’s uranium industry and its long-standing relationship with international markets.

“For more than half a century, uranium, this miraculous substance, Niger’s uranium, has lit the cities of Europe, while our cities have remained in darkness. That injustice is now over,” Zeine said.

The prime minister’s comments formed part of a broader argument for greater economic sovereignty. He said Niger’s government wants the country to have greater control over its natural resources, production and international commercial partnerships. “Our resources belong to our peoples. Our future will no longer be decided elsewhere,” Zeine told the assembly.

Zeine said the Nigerien state recovered control of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr, known as SOMAÏR, in June 2025. He said Niger intends to market its uranium internationally while complying with nuclear non-proliferation requirements.

According to the prime minister, Niger invested about 30 billion CFA francs to continue uranium production using Nigerien workers and experts following the departure of foreign operators. He also said the country’s existing uranium stock belongs to Niger and would be sold to international buyers under transparent arrangements.

The remarks reflect the broader shift in Niger’s resource policy since the 2023 military takeover, with the government emphasizing national control over minerals and other natural resources while seeking new international partnerships.

Zeine also pointed to Niger’s oil industry, saying the country became a crude-oil exporter in 2024 following the completion of the pipeline connecting the Agadem oil fields to the Atlantic coast. He said revenues from natural resources are being directed toward security, agriculture, electrification, water and sanitation, education and healthcare.

Niger’s prime minister framed the country’s resource policy as part of a wider push for sovereignty and self-determination across the Sahel. The speech comes as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso continue to strengthen their cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States while reducing their reliance on several traditional Western partners.

Zeine’s message to the UN was that Niger intends to determine how its natural resources are managed, where they are sold and how the resulting revenues are used, rather than having those decisions determined outside the country.