Visit to Niger - Main contents

Looking at migration, security and development, ahead of Valletta summit

Last week I went to Niger, which I visited in order to discuss EU cooperation with the country, as well as to announce new support. This was my first visit to Niger and it could not have been more timely; coming just one week ahead of the Valletta Summit on migration (which I'm just back from today). Some 90 percent of migrants from Western Africa on their way to Libya pass through Niger. Development cooperation, which helps to tackle the root causes of migration - i.e. the reasons why people migrate in the first place - has never been so vital. The EU is investing 596 million EUR in the country from 2014 to 2020 in order to alleviate poverty and boost socio-economic development.

Niger is currently facing challenges on two fronts. On one side, poverty - it is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking in last place in the United Development Programme's Human Development Index and also has the highest birth rate in the world, with every woman having on average 7.6 children. On the other side, there is the security situation (the crises in Libya and Mali, along with the deadly threat posed by Nigerian Boko Haram, have impacted security in Niger) and we very much value the efforts of the Nigerien government in the fight against terrorism and organised crime. But these efforts require considerable resources, which is why during this visit I signed a 36m EUR budget support investment to help mitigate the impact on social sectors of security expenses. It's clear that security cannot be at the expense of health and education.

During my visit I had the chance to see the EU's work on the ground in Niger, when I visited three of our projects there. The first was a project in Niamey to help create jobs and boost the local economy by training young people to develop their technical and professional skills in the cultural industry. For example, I spoke with young men who designed and sold birdcages and tables, which they will then sell to make a living.

Next I visited an agricultural shop in nearby Koddo, a local cooperative that sells fertilisers and seeds for farming. Food and nutrition insecurity is a big problem in Niger, with 1.3 million children under five are expected to suffer from global acute malnutrition in 2015. Climate change also poses a real threat to the country, with around 100,000 arable hectares of land disappearing every year. Local farmers told me how this project is helping to make them more self-reliant and more resilient: enabling them to better cope with climate shocks and food crises going forward.

Finally, I visited the Kouré giraffe park, a biodiversity project which plays a vital role in creating jobs in the local community. In 1996, just 50 giraffes remained in Niger- the last in the whole of Western Africa. Now, thanks to the conservation efforts of the park, there are more than 400 animals. The Giraffes Zone covers four communes, whose 100,000 inhabitants benefit from the project; eg from local taxes created by tourism, and through cash for work projects to rehabilitate the national habitats. I actually saw some of these magnificent animals by the roadside as we passed and I can see what a treasured resource they are in the region.

I also took part in important meetings on our development cooperation, with the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, amongst others. The EU is the biggest donor to Niger, and we very much value our partnership.

The extraordinarily warm welcome I've been given in Niger is certainly something which will remain with me for a long time.

As the world's attention has focused on Valletta this week, and we looked at how we can best deal with the question of migration; it's clear that the need for development support in key transit countries like Niger is more vital than ever.