 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia.(August 2012) |
| This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia.(August 2012) |
Niger's transport system was underdeveloped during the colonial period (1899–1960), mainly relying on animal, human, and limited river transport in the far southwest and southeast. No railways were constructed in the colonial period, [1] and roads outside the capital remained unpaved. The Niger River is unsuitable for large-scale river transport as it lacks depth for most of the year and is interrupted by rapids in many areas. Camel caravan transport was historically crucial in the Sahara desert and Sahel regions, which cover most of northern Niger. It is also utilized in the Sahel which is home to the capital city of Niamey.
Transport, including motor vehicles, highways, airports, and port authorities, is overseen by the Nigerien Ministry of Transport's Directorate for Land Water and Air Transport ("Ministère des Transport et de l'aviation civile/Direction des Transports Terrestres, Maritimes et Fluviaux"). Border controls and import/export duties are overseen by independent tax police, the "Police du Douanes.” Air traffic control is overseen and operated in conjunction with the pan-African ASECNA, which bases one of its five air traffic zones at Niamey's Hamani Diori International Airport.[1] A non-governmental body, the Nigerien Council of Users of Public Transport ("Conseil Nigérien des utilisateurs des Transports Publics CNUT”) advocates on behalf of users of public transport, including roads and airports.[2]
Outside of cities, the first major paved roads were constructed from the northern town of Arlit to the Benin border in the 1970s and 1980s. This road, dubbed the Uranium Highway,[1] runs through Arlit, Agadez, Tahoua, Birnin-Konni, and Niamey, and is part of the Trans-Sahara Highway system.
An additional paved highway runs from Niamey via Maradi and Zinder towards Diffa in the far east of the nation, although the stretch from Zinder to Diffa is only partially paved. Portions of this route are used by the Trans-Sahel Highway route. The Niger section is 837 km long (of which 600 km were in poor condition as of 2000), via Niamey, Dosso, Dogondoutchi, Birnin-Konni, and Maradi to the Nigerian border at Jibiya.
Other roads range from all-weather laterite surfaces to grated dirt or sandpistes, especially in the arid north.
The United States government in 1996 estimated there were a total of 10,100 km of highways in Niger, with 798 km paved and 9,302 km unpaved, but make no distinction between improved or all-weather roads and unimproved roads.[2] In 2012, there were 19,675 km (12,225 mi) of road network throughout Niger, of which only 4,225 km (2,625 mi) were paved.[3]
The national road system ("Routes Nationale") is numbered and prefixed with "RN”, as RN1. The numbering system contains routes or sections which are as yet unpaved or even unimproved tracks. Route Nationale no. 25, for example, is a major paved highway from Niamey to Filingué, follows the partially improved Route Nationale no. 26 towards Abala, veers off onto a dirt track (locally called a Piste) from the villages of Talcho to Sanam, where RN26 also terminates from another direction. RN25 then continues along a piste through a largely uninhabited desert for almost 100 km before reaching the city of Tahoua, served by other major paved roads. The main "Uranium Highway" then coincides with the RN25 to Arlit in the far north. Consequently, the informal names for the routes (e.g., "Uranium Highway") serve a somewhat more practical purpose than the RN numbers.[1] [2] [3]
Nigeriens in both urban and rural areas rely on a combination of motor vehicles and animals for the transport of themselves and commercial goods. Road transport is the major form of travel across the huge distances between Nigerien population centers despite most Nigeriens not owning their own vehicles. In cities, public transport systems are largely absent, so a variety of privately operated services carry many urban dwellers. Vans, cars, motor coaches, trucks, and even converted motorbikes provide paid transport. Intercity coach systems are the standard form of personal transport, with the government operating one bus service (the SNTV) and a multitude of buses, "bush taxis" (taxi brousse), small vans, and semi-converted trucks taking passengers and goods. Services are sometimes scheduled from the "Highway stations" ("Gares routières") found in every town but are more frequently ad hoc: vehicles ply the trade between towns, picking up at stations or anywhere along the route, and departing only when full.[1]
Animals pulling wagons and loaded camel trains remain a common sight on Nigerien roads.[1]
Vehicles in Niger are subject to the "Laws of the Road" ("Code de la route”), for which the government began a continuing reform in 2004-2006, which are based substantially on French models.[1] Vehicles travel on the right side of the road and roads use French-style signage.[2] Routes Nationale is marked with the traditional French Milestones: a white tablet with a red top, marked with the route number. Vehicle owners must obtain a registration document (“carte grise") and vehicle license plates ("plaques d’immatriculation"), which are of similar manufacture to those in Guinea and Mali.[3] License plates usually contain the national code "RN" for international travel.[4] Niger is a signatory to the September 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and thus honors International driver’slicenses from other signatories.[5] Drivers’ licenses are regulated through the national Ministry of Transport but issued by local officials.[6] Drivers must pass a driver’s test to qualify.[7]
A 2009 enforcement blitz in Niamey resulted in numerous arrests of owners of small motorbikes, common in Nigerien cities. One newspaper reported that most riders believed erroneously that there was no license or regulation required by law for motorbikes under 50cc in engine size, although these had been regulated in law since 2002 but not enforced.[8] Motorbikes are also common means of public transport in some Nigerien cities. These motorcycles "taxis motos", or "kabu kabu", are the primary form of taxis in cities like Zinder, Agadez, and Maradi. In Zinder, a 2009 local newspaper report claimed there were no more than "three to five" automobile taxis operating in a diffuse city, which subsequently relies upon the only partially regulated motorcycle taxi sector.[9]
Road accidents have been identified as a major public health concern by the Nigerian government. According to Chékarou Bagoudou, Chief of the Division of Road Safety and Security of the Nigerien Ministry of Transport, there were 4338 officially reported road accidents in 2008, with 7443 victims, of which 616 were killed. With the Nigerien government counting 18949 km of roads in the nation, this comes to one accident for every five kilometers in 2008. Speaking before a National Assembly session, Bagoudou said that the 42.2 billion CFA francs spent on medical costs for road accident victims accounted for around 25% of the 2008 budget of the Nigerien Ministry of Public Health. Transport figures concluded that 70% of road accidents were caused by "human factors", 23% by mechanical faults, and 7% by road conditions. [2]
The Niger River is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December to March. Thereafter, a series of falls and rapids rendered the Niger unnavigable in all seasons. In the navigable stretches, shallows prevent all but the small draft African canoes (Pirogues and Pinnases) from operating in many areas. There are four major bridges over the Niger, three in Niamey (The Kennedy Bridge, the Seyni Kountche Bridge and the Niger-Chinese friendship bridge [3] the fourth at Bac Farie: [4] plus the Niger River bridge at Gaya crosses into Benin.
Despite having no ocean or deep draft river ports, Niger does operate a port authority. Niger relies on the port at Cotonou (Benin), and to a lesser degree Lomé (Togo), and Port Harcourt (Nigeria), as its main route to overseas trade. Abidjan was in the process of regaining Niger's port trade, following the disruption of the Ivorian Civil War, beginning in 1999. [5] Niger operates a Nigerien Ports Authority station, as well as customs and tax offices in a section of Cotonou's port, so that imports and exports can be directly transported between Gaya and the port. French Uranium mines in Arlit, which produce Niger's largest exports by value, travel through this port to France or the world market.
The US government estimated there were 27 airports and/or landing strips in Niger as of 2007. [6] Nine (9) of these had paved runways and 18 with unpaved landing strips. ICAO Codes for Niger are prefixed "DR".
Of the 9 Airports with paved runways, 2 with paved strips from 2,438 to 3,047 m: Diori Hamani International Airport and Mano Dayak International Airport. These are the only two Nigerien airports with regular international commercial flights. Six of the remainder have strips between 1,524 and 2,437 m, while one is under 914 m. 18 additional airports have unpaved runways 15 of them with strips between 914 and 1,523 m.
Major airports (with ICAO code and IATA code) include: [7]
Other airstrips (with ICAO codes) include: [8]
Niger is a user of the Benin and Togo railway lines, which carry goods from seaports to the Niger border. Rail lines to Niamey and other points in Niger were proposed during the colonial period, and continue to be discussed. In 2012, a multi-national railway system was proposed to connect Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. [9]
Other lines connecting Nigeria to Niger have also been discussed. For example, on 13 August 2013 in Nigeria, the Vice President of Nigeria, Namadi Sambo, announced that Nigeria is to construct a line into the Republic of Niger. The new track will be an extension of the existing branch from Zaria to Kaura-Namoda, which is to be continued via Sokoto to Birnin Kebbi. In the longer term it will extend the line across the border to Niamey, capital of Niger. The existing branch is currently out of commission, but rehabilitation has commenced.
In April 2014, Niamey Railway Station [10] [11] was officially inaugurated and construction began for the railway extension connecting Niamey to Cotonou via Parakou (Benin). [12] [13] This railway line is expected to go through Dosso city and Gaya in the territory of Niger before crossing into Benin. The Niamey–Dosso line was completed in 2016. It is 143 km in length with a gauge of 1,000 mm.
Benin possesses railway and road infrastructure, as well as two seaports. Benin currently does not have rail connections to other countries, but new proposals seek to change this.
The regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 departments. Before the devolution program on 1999–2005, these departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up (regions) had, before 2002-2005 been styled departments. Prior to a revision in 2011, there had been 36 departments. Until 2010, arrondissements remained a proposed subdivision of departments, though none were used. The decentralisation process, begun in the 1995-1999 period replaced appointed Prefects at Departmental or Arrondissement level with elected councils, first elected in 1999. These were the first local elections held in the history of Niger. Officials elected at commune level are then selected as representatives at Departmental, regional, and National level councils and administration. The Ministry of Decentralisation was created to oversee this task, and to create a national consultative council of local officials.
Dosso is a city in the south-west corner of Niger. It lies 130–140 kilometres (81–87 mi) south-east of the capital Niamey at the junction of the main routes to Zinder and Benin. The eighth-most populous town in Niger and the largest in Dosso Region, it had an official population during the 2001 census of 43,561. The population grew to 58,671 in the 2012 census. It is the capital of its region - which covers five departments in the southwestern corner of the nation - as well as of its own department, Dosso Department. The city itself lies at the centre of its own Urban Commune.
Maradi is the second largest city in Niger and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is also the seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.
Madaoua is a town and urban commune located in the Tahoua Region of Niger. It has a population of 127,254. It is seat of the Madaoua Department, forming the southwest corner of the Region, and is an Urban Commune.
Diori Hamani International Airport is an airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger. It is located 9 km (5.6 mi) from Niamey in the south eastern suburbs of the city, along the Route Nationale 1, the major highway linking Niamey with the east of the nation. The airport complex also includes the major base for the Armed Forces of Niger's "Armee d'Air".
The Departments of Niger are subdivided into communes. As of 2005, in the seven Regions and one Capital Area, there were 36 départements, divided into 265 communes, 122 cantons and 81 groupements. The latter two categories cover all areas not covered by Urban Communes or Rural Communes, and are governed by the Department, whereas Communes have elected councils and mayors. Additional semi-autonomous sub-divisions include Sultanates, Provinces and Tribes (tribus). The Nigerien government estimates there are an additional 17000 Villages administered by Rural Communes, while there are over 100 Quartiers administered by Urban Communes.
The Trans-Sahara Highway or TAH 2, also known as the African Unity Road, is a transnational highway project nearing completion to pave, improve and ease border formalities on an existing trade route running north–south across the Sahara Desert. It runs between North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the north and West Africa bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the south, from Algiers in Algeria to Lagos in Nigeria, giving it the alternative names of the Algiers–Lagos Highway or Lagos–Algiers Highway.
The Trans-Sahelian Highway or TAH 5 is a transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on a highway route through the southern fringes of the Sahel region in West Africa between Dakar, Senegal in the west and Ndjamena, Chad, in the east. Alternative names for the highway are the Dakar-Ndjamena Highway or Ndjamena-Dakar Highway and it is Trans-African Highway 5 in the Trans-African Highway network.
Abdou Moumouni University, formerly the University of Niamey from 1974 to 1994, is a public university based in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The main campus is situated on the right bank of the Niger River. Historically, its students and faculty have been involved in protest movements in the capital.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Niger:
Niger is governed through a four layer, semi-decentralised series of administrative divisions. Begun 1992, and finally approved with the formation of the Fifth Republic of Niger on 18 July 1999, Niger has been enacting a plan for decentralisation of some state powers to local bodies. Prior to the 1999-2006 project, Niger's subdivisions were administered via direct appointment from the central government in Niamey. Beginning with Niger's first municipal elections of 2 February 1999, the nation started electing local officials for the first time. Citizens now elect local committee representatives in each commune, chosen by subdivisions of the commune: "quarters" in towns and "villages" in rural areas, with additional groupings for traditional polities and nomadic populations. These officials choose mayors, and from them are drawn representatives to the department level. The departmental council, prefect, and representatives to the regional level are chosen here using the same procedure. The system is repeated a regional level, with a regional prefect, council, and representatives to the High Council of Territorial Collectives. The HCCT has only advisory powers, but its members have some financial, planning, educational and environmental powers. The central government oversees this process through the office of the Minister of State for the Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization.
NIGELEC is the Parastatal electric power generation and transmission utility in Niger. It is majority owned by the Government of Niger and was founded in 1968. In 2006 NIGELEC had 178964 subscribers and 300 electrified centers. The NIGELEC management is overseen by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The Route Nationale No. 1 is an important highway in Niger. It connects the east part of the country to the west. RN1 runs approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) from Koutogou in the west to N'Guigmi in the east, via Dosso, Maradi, Zinder, and Diffa. The first large paved section, between Gouré and N'Guigmi, was surfaced in 1971–72. This section, in the distant and sparsely populated east, is now the most degraded section and in part completely eroded. It was named the "Route de l'Unité" in the 1970s. By 1980, it was joined by the second long all-weather road in Niger, the "Uranium Highway," running from Niamey to Arlit in the far north.
The Société Nigérienne de Transports de Voyageurs or SNTV is the Nigerien government owned bus and public transport company.
Arik Niger was the Nigerien subsidiary of Arik Air based in Niamey, Niger. The airline suspended operations in February 2010.
There is currently one railway in Niger, built between 2014 and 2016 between Niamey and Dosso by the French Bolloré conglomerate. The objective was to connect Niamey to the rail network in Benin and thus to the coast. But competing commercial interests by several parties resulted in endless litigation and the connection to Benin never materialized. So the 145 km Niamey-Dosso stretch now lies orphaned and unused, with the tracks ending in the middle of nowhere some 6 km south of Dosso. After several years of neglect the tracks are already damaged to such an extent in some places, that they have become unusable. At the Niamey Terminus Station, the rails are kinked to such an extent by the summer heat that the train would not be able to leave the station.
The vehicle registration plates of Niger is a legal form requiring the citizens of Niger to have the car registered.
The 2018 Coupe nationale du Niger is the 43rd edition of the Coupe nationale du Niger, the knockout football competition of Niger.
Media related to Transport in Niger at Wikimedia Commons
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