Niger: investing in human capital, agricultural productivity, and social protection for faster poverty reduction - a poverty assessment
Niger earns its foreign exchange mainly from uranium and gold, which has limited domestic economic linkages. Distant second, livestock export also provide important revenue to the country. Overall, most of the labor force is employed in a low productivity and shock prone rainfed agricultural sector. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic growth slowdown is estimated to have pushed up to an additional people into poverty. Niger is further beset by vast infrastructure gaps, intensifying terrorism attacks domestically, persisting conflict in the Sahel region, and intensifying environmental pressures. Robust poverty reduction and steady gains in shared prosperity will require investments to bolster human capital, interventions to increase agricultural productivity and develop the rural economy, and mitigate vulnerability to shocks both at the household and community levels. The effectiveness of these interventions will hinge on improved governance, successful conflict resolution, and enhanced security. This poverty assessment aims to strengthen the analytical foundation for poverty-reduction policies and interventions in Niger.
