Until the coup in the Niger in 2023, Germany and the Niger had extensive cooperation in the spheres of stabilisation, security and development. In coordination with like-minded international partners, most of these activities were suspended or made subject to political provisos in response to the regime change, which violated the country’s constitution. Humanitarian assistance and transitional development assistance are excepted from this.

Since 1962, bilateral development cooperation has amounted to more than one billion euro and has been channelled, among other spheres, into education, healthcare, agriculture and administrative reform. Due to the Niger’s significance as a transit country for migration from West Africa to Europe, one priority from 2017 onwards was migration management and the creation of sources of income outside the migration economy.

Germany supported the Niger’s security sector in particular through the German Government’s Enable and Enhance Initiative. The German Government has an air transport base at Niamey airport. Within the framework of the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy, Germany was involved in capacity-building for the Niger’s security forces via the EU Military Partnership Mission in Niger (EUMPM) and the civilian mission EUCAP Sahel Niger. The Niger terminated both missions in December 2023.

In the Lake Chad region (the Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad), Germany is contributing together with the EU and the UN towards lasting stabilisation in the humanitarian, development and peace nexus. Comparable activities are also supported by the Federal Foreign Office in the border region between the Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.