According to the official statement, the firms had not honoured key commitments, including the payment of taxes, submission of annual technical and financial reports, and adherence to environmental regulations.
The decision forms part of a wider policy shift under Niger’s military authorities, who have sought to increase state control over the country’s strategic resources since seizing power in a 2023 coup.
Niger tightens grip on mining sector
Officials have argued that previous agreements allowed foreign operators to extract wealth from the country without delivering sufficient economic benefits to local communities or the national treasury.
The government’s latest announcement also targeted the oil sector. Authorities said they had rejected a request by British energy company Savannah Energy to extend its exploration and drilling licence in the country’s south-east.
The government argued that the firm had failed to comply with the terms of an output-sharing contract covering four oil blocks in the Agadem Rift Basin.
Across the Sahel, governments have increasingly argued that decades of foreign-led extraction have produced limited developmental gains. Military governments in the region have therefore pushed to renegotiate contracts, increase state ownership in mining ventures, and tighten regulatory oversight.
Global pushback against nationalisation policies
However, the growing push toward nationalisation and stronger state control has also generated tension with international partners.
Supporters of the new policies argue that they represent long-overdue corrections to extractive agreements negotiated during periods of weaker regulatory oversight.
Critics warn that abrupt policy shifts and contract cancellations could deter future investment and slow the development of new mining projects.
For Niger’s military authorities, however, the policy direction appears clear. By cancelling mining concessions and tightening control over oil and gold resources, the government is signalling that the country’s natural wealth will increasingly be managed with the explicit aim of boosting national revenues and strengthening economic sovereignty.
