Judy and I returned from our latest Africa trip about a week ago. As always, it was hugely productive and thoroughly exhausting. But with batteries now recharged, I’d like to share a few stories about this year’s trip. Let’s start at the beginning and our surprise at the “New Niger”.
Okay, let me preface what you’re about to read by saying that in 2019 Niger again finished dead last among 189 countries on the UN Human Development Index, and 186th on the basis of per capita income. That said, landing in Niger this year we saw signs of progress everywhere.
For Judy, seeing Niger for the first time in many years, she was struck by the change. And even since my visit last January the progress was impressive and encouraging. For starters, our flight from Paris hit the ground and taxied up to a new, beautiful (and fully air conditioned!) airport terminal. Wonderful! We drove from the airport to our hotel in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on wide, newly paved roads. The hotel we stayed at had been open less than a year, part of a high-end chain built by a Barcelona-based company. Rooms were comfortable and smartly furnished, the food was very good, and the staff was friendly and attentive. For years we described the best hotel in Niger as comparable to a 40-year old Holiday Inn in moderate disrepair. This was a huge step up.
What triggered this spurt of modernization? Niger was named to host the African Union Summit held in July 2019. To upgrade the country’s infrastructure, a Turkish company financed the new airport in a public-private partnership. The government of India gave Niger $50 million dollars to build a beautiful convention center with a 20,000-seat arena. Indeed, India plans to build 20 such convention centers across Africa - high profile infrastructure projects designed to strengthen India’s economic relationships on the continent. And to help lodge all those attending the Summit, several new hotels were built with international funding.
Outside the capital, progress is evident as well. Judy noticed a big change on our 30-minute drive from Niamey to the county of Liboré, the site of our Farmers of the Future pilot sites and home office of our NGO partner LIBO. “I see fields of lettuce and vegetables all along the roadside now. Long stretches that were barren last time I was here are now green. And vendors are selling lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Farming for profit is starting to take off.”
There’s a new focus on farming as a core strategy for rural economic development in Niger. And we’re hoping to play an important role with our Farmers of the Future initiative. More on that in the next post.