‘Our Uranium lit Europe, while Niger stayed in darkness’ — PM tells UN

Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, has used his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly to announce a new approach to the country’s uranium resources, insisting that Niger will exercise greater control over production and determine its international commercial partners.

Speaking in New York on September 25, Zeine said Niger’s uranium had contributed to Europe’s energy supply for decades while many communities in Niger remained without reliable electricity.

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

Zeine said the Nigerien state recovered control of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR) in June 2025. He declared that uranium produced and stockpiled by the operation belongs to Niger and that the country intends to sell the mineral on the international market.

“Our resources will now be managed by us and for us,” he said, adding that exports would be conducted transparently and in compliance with international nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

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The prime minister also said Niger had invested about 30 billion CFA francs to restore uranium production using Nigerien workers and experts after the departure of foreign operators.

He alleged that equipment had been sabotaged before the foreign withdrawal, an accusation for which France had not publicly responded as of the latest reports.

The remarks form part of Niger’s broader push for greater control over its natural resources following the military takeover in 2023 and its deteriorating relationship with France.

Zeine linked the country’s resource policy to what he described as a wider struggle over sovereignty in the Sahel.

He accused France and Ukraine of involvement in destabilisation efforts and argued that the region’s mineral and energy resources remain a major source of international competition. Those allegations are Nigerien government claims and were not independently established in the reports reviewed.

The prime minister also outlined Niger’s expanding diplomatic partnerships, saying the country was open to relationships based on equality, reciprocity and mutual interests. He identified Russia, China, Türkiye, Morocco and Togo among Niger’s partners.

Niger has increasingly aligned itself with Mali and Burkina Faso through the Alliance of Sahel States, while distancing itself from France and several traditional Western partners.

Zeine said revenues from uranium and oil would support national priorities including security, agriculture, electrification, water and sanitation, education and healthcare.

The speech signals a significant shift in Niger’s approach to its mineral wealth, with the government seeking to move from foreign-dominated extraction toward greater state control, domestic participation and broader international marketing of its uranium resources.