Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

The northern part of Niger is mostly a hot desert climate[20] which is characterized by hot temperatures and is dry for most of the year. Precipitation can occur from April through December but will generally evaporate immediately. Heavy rainfall in this area may occur, and has historically been concentrated in July, and August in particular. On these occasions the road infrastructure will be severely impacted and even the main roads l may be impassable for certain areas due to flooding. See temperature and precipitation chart for Bilma below for an illustrative example. It should be noted that the red area of hot desert climate is not as uniform as it appears. Generally the closer the area is to the golden part the closer it will approach the hot semi-arid climate of the south. 

The golden area in the above figure represents hot semi-arid climate. This climate resembles the hot desert climate, but will be somewhat cooler and see more and rain with higher regularity in the wet season. The wet season runs from June to September. The actually start and of the season will vary from year to year, as will the amount of rain falling in the season. The wet season in Niger is usually from June to September, though rain may fall before and after. See below temperature and precipitation chart for Niamey for an illustrative example of the climate. Many secondary roads will become practically impassable in this period and for certain areas the final leg will need to be assured by donkey carts or pirogues.

 The dry season, October to May, is known for frequent sand storms that can severely impair air travel. Delays and cancellations is common place in this period, especially for internal air travel. Seasonal social activities such as the Hadj have negligible impact.

Considering the corridors the lean season in Niger contributes to port congestion and peak demand for transport for transiting cargo. Niger relies mostly on the port of Cotonou, Benin and the port of Lomé, Togo. In May/June the cotton harvest season will further contribute to congestion at Cotonou. And the wet season from June to September will slow discharge rates for bulk and break-bulk cargo. Transit will in generally also be slower with higher accident frequency due to deterioration of the roads by the rain.  

The wet season is the peak period for warehouse renting as merchants will seek better protection for their stock. Demand for storage will increase following the harvest, but not necessarily for fully fledged warehouses as smaller storage units are preferred.

The harvest season generally has a limited impact on transportation and logistical services in Niger. Manual labour may become scarcer as some return to their villages to help with the harvest. See timetable below for harvest period and lean season.

Pre-stocking is an alternative to avoid port congestion before the lean season. For distributions in Niger the most exposed sites during the wet season may benefit from pre-stocking. This depends as well on the capacity and ability to store food over longer periods.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The long term strategy for development is the Stratégie de Développement Durable et Croissance Inclusive (sustainable development and inclusive growth strategy). It targets 2035 to achieve the sustainable development goals and inclusive economic growth[21] [22]. The plan of action to achieve the vision is mainly described in the Plan de Développement Economique et Sociale, 2017-2021[23]  (PDES – economic and social development plan), le programme Résilience Niger[24] (Niger resilience program) and Plan de Développement Sanitaire[25] (Public hygiene development plan) is the reference document for interaction with the humanitarian actors. It lays out the government’s plans for development for the four year period and takes account of the sustainable development goals.

The initiative Nigériens Nourrissent les Nigériens (3N – Nigeriens nourish Nigeriens) is part of the plan and targets food security and agricultural development. 3N coordinates the national nutrition policy and is aligned with the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR Sahel) roadmap. Since launching in 2011, 3N has become the national platform for concerted, integrated and convergent resilience building and the key strategic partner for WFP, FAO and UNICEF. Improved access to, and quality of, education was declared a national goal in 2012 and entails a school feeding program operated by WFP and supported by UNICEF.

Government agencies for emergency response are led by the Dispositif National de Prévention et des Gestion des Crises Alimentaires (DNPGCA – national device for prevention and management of food emergency) and is coordinated by the Prime Minister. Its mission is to prevent crisis, and coordinate public intervention when crisis occur. Several agencies are implicated in this work. Le Système d’Alerte Précoce (SAP – early warning system) handles information and analysis with the aim to signal potential crisis at an early stage. La Cellule de Crise Alimentaire (CCA – food emergency agency) is responsible for coordination and supervision of relief efforts. L’Office de Produits Vivriers du Niger (OPVN – Nigerien office for food products) is responsible for the national security stock. This is supposed to cover the needs for 20 % of the population for three months in wait for international intervention. For emergencies stemming from flooding, armed conflict, inter-communal violence; industrial accidents and refugees the Cellule de Coordination des actions Humanitaires (CCH – Agency for coordination of humanitarian involvement) is in charge of coordination, prevention and intervention. The Direction des Appuis Développement Communautaire (DADC – Entity to support community development)

The ministry for humanitarian action and emergency response (Ministre de l’Action Humanitaire et de la Gestion des Catastrophes) is the key ministry for humanitarian coordination and response. Depending on the type of intervention the following ministries are relevant: ministry for community development and soil improvement (Ministre de Développement Communautaire et de l’Aménagement du Territoire) agricultural and livestock ministry; (Ministre de L’Agriculture et de L’Elevage);  the ministry of hydraulics and sanitation (Ministre de l’Hydraulique et de l’Assainissement; the health ministry (Ministre de la Santé Publique); the primary education ministry (Ministre de l’Enseignement Primaire, de l’Alphabétisation, de la Promotion des Langues Nationales et de l’Éducation Civique) ; the ministry of population, women and children protection (Ministre de la Population, de la Promotion de la Femme, de la Protection de l’Enfant).

The military is involved in emergency operations notably by providing escorts for field missions.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Government Contact List

Humanitarian Community

The humanitarian structure in Niger is organized in clusters which is coordinated by The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). HCT is responsible for (1) approving and validating all strategies concerning humanitarian action in Niger; (2) adopt common rules for engagement; (3) promote and assure adhesion to rules imposed by the IASC; (4) ensure humanitarian advocacy; and (5) support the government’s operations and initiatives. HCT is led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and facilitated by OCHA. It consists of representatives from the UN organizations UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, FAO, IOM and USAIDS; representatives from the international NGOs: ACF, OXFAM, CONCERN, ACTED; representatives from donors: ECHO, France and the European Union; representatives from MMSF and ICRS have observatory status.

The national inter-cluster acts as the agent linking HCT and the clusters. It proposes interventions, execute HCT’s decisions. Further it seeks to complement the clusters and works on avoiding duplication of efforts amongst them. The clusters are responsible for coordinating activities and emergency response in the section they operate. They This includes collection of data, analyzing information, identify needs and gaps, and prioritization. Each cluster can have a number of sub-clusters which operates on regional levels. As of January 16, 2018 there are six clusters and one working group operational in Niger. The clusters are for Protection, Nutrition, Emergency Education, Health, Food Security and WASH. The working group concerns emergency shelter and non-food items. In addition a working group for supply chain is in the making.

The ongoing programs are concentrated in the following five themes: food security; malnutrition; displaced population and refugees; natural disasters; and epidemics. More details can be found in the Overview of Humanitarian Needs document for 2018[26] and the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2018.[27]

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link:

4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List

The Direction des ONGs et Associations de Développement  (DONGAD - Directorate for NGOs and Development Associations) oversees the humanitarian community and interacts with customs and revenue offices to tax exempt goods and materials for humanitarian purposes. The Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI - General directorate for taxes) is the governmental organisation that handles tax revenue. The Direction Générales des Productions Végétales (DGPV – Directorate for agricultural products) conducts inspections of foodstuffs.

The standards are the responsibility of the Agence Nationale de Vérification de Conformité aux Normes[1] (AVCN- national agency for verification and compliance). They control and assure the quality of imported and local products. The categories they audit include drugs, contraceptives, drinking water, beverages, cereals and derivatives of cereals, milk and dairy products, meat and fish. The food standards comply with international standards set by WHO and FAO – Codex Alimentarius. AVCN is supported by the public health ministry’s sanitary police (police sanitaire) who collect samples to be tested. The Laboratoire National de Santé Publique et d'Expertise (LANSPEX – national laboratory for public health and expertise) conducts the analysis and tests. Formally LANSPEX is under the ministries of public health and finance, and set to assure and control the quality of medicines, foodstuffs, drinking water, sewage and pesticides. LANSPEX also trains toxicological technicians.

The Direction des Pharmacies, des Laboratoires et de la medicine traditionelle  (DPHL - department of pharmacy laboratories and traditional medicin) oversees the medical and pharmaceutical sector. The Comité du Selection Medical (CSM - medical selection committee) examines requests for medicines to be allowed on market, registers generic medicines and supervises allowed medicine. LANSPEX performs tests and analysis.

Fuel is under the ministry of energy and oil. Societe Nigerienne des Produits Petroliers (SONIDEP – Nigerien petrol products enterprise) is a State-owned Petroleum Company that has a monopoly on the importation and sales of oil products such as fuel. Imported fuel is required to pass by Sorey where a visual control and laboratory testing of quality is conducted. However, large quantities of fuel are smuggled in notably from Nigeria and are sold openly along the roads, seemingly without governmental interference.

Trade agreements that Niger adhere to, and regional organisations they belong to, includes WTO, ECOWAS, UEMOA, EN-SAD and the African Union. WTO, World Trade Organisation, regulates trade between the member states by providing a framework for negotiating and formalising trade agreements. WTO also settles trade disputations. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, works for economic integration across the region through an economic and trade union. It also serves as a peacekeeping force. UEMOA, the West African Economic and Monetary Union, is a customs and currency union between the states that share the FCFA. CEN-SAD, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, aims to create a free trade area within Africa. The Liptako-Gourma Authority (LGA) aims to create a common framework for Niger; Mali and Burkina Faso to develop mineral, energy, hydraulic and agricultural resources. The African Union includes every African state but Morocco and among its objectives is to harmonise policies among all the Regional Economic Communities.

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 

4.1 Niger Government Contact List

Emergency Response

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to 'crisis' times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government.  When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response) 

The UEMOA Customs Code chapter 1, article 165 – 13 and article 166 allow for duty and tax free importation for humanitarian agencies. The articles state that goods imported for the Red Cross or other works of solidarity, national and international, are exempted of duties and taxes. The conditions of this are fixed by the competent authorities in each individual state.  This article is mirrored in article 98 c) in the Nigerien Customs Code and article 68 allows the finance ministry, with advice from directly concerned ministries, to decide whether an organisation is to be tax and duty exempt.

Niger allows both UN organisations and humanitarian non-governmental organisations. Their activities must be initiated in Niger and fit with the current economic, social and cultural policies undertaken by the government.

All goods may be exonerated, but not necessarily for every NGO. This will be stipulated in the contract between the government and the NGO. The categories that are most likely to be exempt for exoneration are construction material such as cement, sheet metal, boards and concrete iron; lubricants, consumables and spare parts; office equipment such as office furniture and material, and fixed installations at the offices or residence. Three taxes cannot be lifted by Nigerien authority as they are supranational. These taxes are UEMOA’s solidarity levy (1%), CEDEAO’s solidarity levy (0.5%) and a statistics charge (1%). To lift these taxes the respective organisations need to be addressed.

The customs department are under the ministry of economy and finance and is organised as follows: 

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Customs Clearance

General Information 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

Transit Regime

Imported cargo is cleared at the one of the many full functional customs offices located near the final destination. Cargo is thus transited without being cleared and is escorted by customs officials. The escort is a legal requirement and a guarantee, or caution, for the shipment has to be placed with the Customs Office. 

Storage charges are at the rate of 650 XOF/ton without handling and 1 500 XOF/ton with handling. The price covers the duration of stay. Escort charges are a function of the number of vehicles that are to be escorted and the travel distance. Payment of fees and administration is normally delegated to a freight forwarder or handling agent.