Political Risk:

Very High

Score:

31/100

Defence and Security Policy and Policy Transparency

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Q1 42/100

Is there formal provision for effective and independent legislative scrutiny of defence policy?

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Formal rights Score: 50 / 100
Under the Constitution (1), the Nigerien National Assembly (NA) has formal rights to oversee government actions, including defence and security policy. The NA has…
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Effectiveness Score: 50 / 100
The National Assembly (NA) debates issues of defence and national security and has made attempts to influence government policy through formal mechanisms. It authorises…
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Independent legislature scrutiny Score: 25 / 100
Following the most recent election in February 2016, the National Assembly elected 117 deputies to serve a five-year term. The PNDS-Tarayya presidential political party…
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Q2 17/100

Does the country have an identifiable and effective parliamentary defence and security committee (or similar such organisations) to exercise oversight?

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Formal rights Score: 50 / 100
The National Assembly has a Security and Defence Committee that is to be set up at the beginning of each legislative cycle (Art. 30…
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Expertise Score: 50 / 100
Presided over by a lawyer, Hama Assah, the committee is composed of 24 members (1). Coming from different backgrounds, only a few of them…
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Responsive policymaking Score: 0 / 100
The committee may have some oversight over major defence decisions if new threats arise. For instance, in February 2015, the committee authorised the dispatch…
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Short-term oversight Score: 0 / 100
Chapter III of the Internal Rules document provides the Commission with the right to propose amendments (1). However, according to interviewees (2), at least…
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Long-term oversight Score: 0 / 100
According to article 30, line 7 of the Internal Rules, the Commission has a right to conduct investigations related to policies (1). However, according to…
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Institutional outcomes Score: 0 / 100
The National Assembly’s capacity to have an institutional impact on defence policy is limited. According to interviewees, deputies have never managed to propose a…
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Q3 44/100

Is the country’s national defence policy or national security strategy debated and publicly available?

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Scope of involvement Score: 50 / 100
Defence and security policy is debated by the executive, the legislature and the public. Niger has a strategy for development and security (SDS Sahel-Niger,…
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Scope of debate Score: 50 / 100
Two principle issues seem to be at the heart of the security and defence debate, involving civil society organisations, the legislative and the executive:…
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Public consultations Score: 50 / 100
There are formal public consultations on defence policy and the security strategy. However, it is difficult to establish with precision to what extent defence…
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Transparency Score: 25 / 100
The overall defence objectives are stated in the Constitution, which is publicly available (Article 66). It states that Niger’s armed forces are responsible for…
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Q4 25/100

Do defence and security institutions have a policy, or evidence, of openness towards civil society organisations (CSOs) when dealing with issues of corruption?

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Policy of openness Score: 0 / 100
The Niger defence and security institutions include the Niger Armed Forces (FAN), Gendarmerie Nationale, which are under the tutelage of the Ministry of Defence,…
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CSO protections Score: 50 / 100
There are several important CSOs in Niger (1), but only one is focused specifically on the fight against corruption. The Nigerien Association for the…
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Practice of openness Score: 25 / 100
Defence and security institutions are beginning to seek CSOs engagement. However, police institutions seem to be more open than the military and they are…
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Q5 75/100

Has the country signed up to the following international anti-corruption instruments: UNCAC and the OECD Convention?

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Signatory and Ratification status Score: 100 / 100
Niger is not a defence exporter. The Parliament of Niger ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption through Act No. 2008-26 of 3 July…
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Compliance Score: 50 / 100
The UNCAC obliges the state parties to implement a full range of anti-corruption measures affecting their laws, institutions and practices. These measures aim to…
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Q6 50/100

Is there evidence of regular, active public debate on issues of defence? If yes, does the government participate in this debate?

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Public debate Score: 50 / 100
Outside of government, there is evidence of public debate on security and defence issues. It is brought up by civil society, journalists and academics.…
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Government engagement in public discourse Score: 50 / 100
Government tends to engage in discussions with the public on defence issues through open forums and media briefings. For example, in December 2017 the…
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Q7 63/100

Does the country have an openly stated and effectively implemented anti-corruption policy for the defence sector?

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Anti-corruption policy Score: 100 / 100
There is an anti-corruption policy – National Strategy to fight Corruption and its Action plan – adopted in January 2018 by the Council of…
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Effective implementation Score: 25 / 100
The National Strategy to Fight Corruption provides an action plan for dealing with the issue (1,2). In April 2018 a steering Committee for the National…
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Q8 42/100

Are there independent, well-resourced, and effective institutions within defence and security tasked with building integrity and countering corruption?

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Mandate and resources Score: 50 / 100
Defence and security services in Niger include different various institutions: the Niger Armed Forces (FAN), under the Ministry of Defence, are responsible for external…
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Independence Score: 25 / 100
The IGA depends directly on the Presidency of the Republic (1). Therefore, it is not in the chain of command of the Ministry of…
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Effectiveness Score: 50 / 100
According to an interviewee, the IGA could lead two forms of audit: planned and non-planned. The planned one conducts fact-finding visits to the field…
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Q9 NS/100

Does the public trust the institutions of defence and security to tackle the issue of bribery and corruption in their establishments?

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Score: NS / 100
This indicator is not assigned a score in the GDI. According to TI’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index, Niger is ranked 33/100 (0 = perceived…
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Q10 0/100

Are there regular assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk for ministry and armed forces personnel, and are the findings used as inputs to the anti-corruption policy?

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Risk assessments Score: 0 / 100
No defence-specific assessment of corruption risk has been commissioned or taken place in the last 2-3 years. Even though an official risk assessment has…
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Regularity Score: NA / 100
Risk assessments were not conducted, therefore, the section is marked Not Applicable.
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Inputs to anti-corruption policy Score: NA / 100
Risk assessments were not conducted, therefore, the section is marked Not Applicable.
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Defence Budgets

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Q11 8/100

Does the country have a process for acquisition planning that involves clear oversight, and is it publicly available?

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Acquisition planning process Score: 25 / 100
The government has a process for acquisition planning as a result of the programming act of the Ministry of Defence. According to art. 20…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
According to art. 20 of the 2013 Decree on defence and security procurement, the acquisition plan is not subject to publication and is classified…
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External oversight Score: 0 / 100
Given the confidentiality of the procurement procedures (1), it is unlikely that the acquisition plan is subject to any oversight. The plan is not…
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Q12 63/100

Is the defence budget transparent, showing key items of expenditure? And it is provided to the legislature in a timely fashion?

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Comprehensiveness Score: 75 / 100
The Nigerien defence budget is published on an annual basis as part of the financial law available in the Official Journal, in a printed…
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Timeliness Score: 50 / 100
The National Assembly is responsible for analysing the national budget and provides government oversight when it comes to drafting budgetary legislation, which is passed…
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Q13 25/100

Is there a legislative committee (or other appropriate body) responsible for defence budget scrutiny and analysis in an effective way?

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Formal rights Score: 50 / 100
The Nigerien National Assembly (NA) is constitutionally vested with formal rights to carry out oversight of all government actions; it can vote on all…
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Influence on decision-making Score: 0 / 100
According to Open Budget Survey 2017, the Niger legislature provides limited oversight during the planning stage of the budget cycle and weak oversight during…
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Q14 33/100

Is the approved defence budget made publicly available? In practice, can citizens, civil society, and the media obtain detailed information on the defence budget?

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Proactive publication Score: 25 / 100
The approved financial law is made publicly available in the Official Journal (1); it provides some budgetary explanation but does not clarify different types…
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Comprehensiveness Score: 50 / 100
The Nigerien defence budget is published on an annual basis as part of the financial law available in the Official Journal, in a printed…
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Response to information requests Score: 25 / 100
Information on the defence budget, published in the Official Journal is generally made available to the public in the National Archives. However, more detailed…
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Q15 8/100

Are sources of defence income other than from central government allocation (from equipment sales or property disposal, for example) published and scrutinised?

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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
There is no defence industry in Niger, and the military does not own any property that could provide it with additional income or revenue…
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Institutional scrutiny Score: 25 / 100
The Defence Ministry’s internal oversight body – the Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces (IGA) – provides a scrutiny mechanism (1).…
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Public scrutiny Score: 0 / 100
Civil Society Organisations (CSO) occasionally participate in defence and security debates. For example, every year, AEC organises a forum “Session Budgetaire Citoyenne” to discuss…
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Q16 0/100

Is there an effective internal audit process for defence ministry expenditure (that is, for example, transparent, conducted by appropriately skilled individuals, and subject to parliamentary oversight)?

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Activity Score: 0 / 100
The Defence Ministry’s internal oversight body is called the Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces (IGA/Inspection Générale des Services) (1). It…
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Enabling oversight Score: NA / 100
There is no evidence on the effective control of the defence ministry expenditure conducted by the IGA. Therefore this indicator is marked Not Applicable.…
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External scrutiny Score: NA / 100
There is no evidence of the effective control of the defence ministry expenditure conducted by the IGA. Therefore this indicator is marked Not Applicable.
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Institutional outcomes Score: NA / 100
There is no evidence of the effective control of the defence ministry expenditure conducted by the IGA. Therefore this indicator is marked Not Applicable.
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Q17 17/100

Is there effective and transparent external auditing of military defence expenditure?

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Activity Score: 25 / 100
External auditing falls under the mandate of the National Audit Office, which also includes security spending reviews, particularly the verification of the accounting terminology…
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Independence Score: 25 / 100
Both the National Audit Office and the State Inspectorate General are legally independent entities from the Defence Ministry. Article 141 of the Constitution (1)…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
The internal reports are not published (1,2,3) and are not accessible to the public.
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Institutional outcomes Score: NEI / 100
This indicator has not been assigned a score due to insufficient information or evidence. The assessor found no evidence of the precise institutional outcomes…
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Nexus of Defence and National Assets

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Q18 58/100

Is there evidence that the country’s defence institutions have controlling or financial interests in businesses associated with the country’s natural resource exploitation and, if so, are these interests publicly stated and subject to scrutiny?

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Legal framework Score: 0 / 100
Niger is currently the world’s fourth-largest uranium-producing country (1), with gold and oil being other important exports (2). No instrument directly prevents defence institutions…
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Defence institutions: Financial or controlling interests in practice Score: 100 / 100
The assessor found no cases of defence institutions involved with companies working in natural resource exploitation (1, 2). It should be noted that an…
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Individual defence personnel: Financial or controlling interests in practice Score: 75 / 100
Based on interviews and media analysis, the assessor found no cases of individual defence personnel being involved in businesses relating to the country’s natural…
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Transparency Score: NA / 100
Since there is no legal framework for defence and security institutions regarding declaration of interests in extractive industries, this indicator has been marked Not…
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Scrutiny Score: NA / 100
Since there is no legal framework for defence and security institutions regarding declaration of interests in extractive industries, this indicator has been marked Not…
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Organised Crime

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Q19 50/100

Is there evidence, for example through media investigations or prosecution reports, of a penetration of organised crime into the defence and security sector? If no, is there evidence that the government is alert and prepared for this risk?

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Penetration of organised crime Score: 50 / 100
The extent of penetration of organised crime into the Nigerien defence and security sector is difficult to evaluate. The likelihood of organised crime being…
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Government response Score: 50 / 100
There is evidence that the Nigerien government is aware of the possible involvement of some elements of the defence and security sector in organised…
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Q20 42/100

Is there policing to investigate corruption and organised crime within the defence services and is there evidence of the effectiveness of this policing?

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Existence of policing function Score: 50 / 100
Internal oversight bodies of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior represent institutions that generally have the mandate to conduct audit missions…
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Independence Score: 50 / 100
It is difficult to assess the extent to which the policing functions of the SCLCT or CENTIF are subject to undue influence from top…
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Effectiveness Score: 25 / 100
Even if there may be cases of involvement of security and defence forces in corruption or organised crime investigated, they are not disclosed publicly…
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Control of Intelligence Services

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Q21 0/100

Are the policies, administration, and budgets of the intelligence services subject to effective and independent oversight?

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Independence Score: 0 / 100
Niger’s intelligence services are connected in various ways to security and defence institutions. Among others, they include the Central Service for the Fight against…
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Effectiveness Score: NA / 100
In practice, the committee cannot control policies, administration and budgets of the intelligence services. Therefore this indicator has been marked Not Applicable. The IGSS…
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Q22 NEI/100

Are senior positions within the intelligence services filled on the basis of objective selection criteria, and are appointees subject to investigation of their suitability and prior conduct?

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Objective selection criteria Score: 0 / 100
The assessor found no evidence of objective selection criteria being employed in the recruitment of senior intelligence posts. It is also worth noting that…
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Selection bias Score: NEI / 100
This indicator has not been assigned a score due to insufficient information or evidence. The assessor found no recruitment information for senior intelligence posts.
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Vetting process Score: NEI / 100
This indicator has not been assigned a score due to insufficient information or evidence. The assessor found no recruitment information for senior intelligence posts.
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Export Controls

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Q23 NEI/100

Does the government have a well-scrutinised process for arms export decisions that aligns with Articles 7.1.iv, 11.5, and 15.6 of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)?

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Signatory and Ratification Score: 100 / 100
Niger ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on July 24, 2015 (1).
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Compliance Score: NEI / 100
This indicator has not been assigned a score due to insufficient information or evidence. Niger, which is not an arms exporter, has failed to…
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Parliamentary scrutiny Score: NA / 100
Niger has no domestic arms manufacturers and SIPRI has no record of arms exports from Niger (1). Therefore, this indicator has been marked Not…
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Lobbying in Defence

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Q76 0/100

Does the country regulate lobbying of defence institutions?

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Legal framework Score: 0 / 100
The country has no framework for regulating lobbying activity that covers defence institutions.
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Disclosure: Public officials Score: NA / 100
The country has no framework for regulating lobbying activity that covers defence institutions. Therefore, this indicator has been marked Not Applicable.
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Lobbyist registration system Score: NA / 100
The country has no framework for regulating lobbying activity that covers defence institutions. Therefore, this indicator has been marked Not Applicable.
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Oversight & enforcement Score: NA / 100
The country has no framework for regulating lobbying activity that covers defence institutions. Therefore, this indicator has been marked Not Applicable.
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