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Niger’s ruling military authorities announced on Thursday that they had withdrawn the concessions of three gold mining companies and refused to extend the licence of a British oil firm, accusing the companies of failing to meet their contractual obligations.
The West African nation, which produces uranium, gold and oil, has been under military rule since the 2023 coup. Since taking power, the junta has increasingly asserted control over the country’s natural resources.
In a statement, the government confirmed that it had cancelled concessions granted between 2017 and 2020 to three gold mining and processing firms—Comini, Afrior and Ecomine.
According to the authorities, the companies “have not honoured” their obligations, particularly regarding tax payments, the submission of annual technical and financial reports, and compliance with environmental regulations.
Niger currently operates only one industrial-scale gold mine, Samira, which the military government nationalised last year.
The government also disclosed that it had turned down a request from British company Savannah Energy to extend its exploration and drilling licence in the country’s south-east. Officials stated that the firm had failed to comply with an output-sharing agreement covering four oil blocks.
Savannah Energy, however, says the blocks encompass roughly half of the Agadem Rift Basin, Niger’s principal oil-producing region, where the company recently reported a significant oil discovery.
