Niger’s military government has cancelled the concessions of three gold mining companies and denied a licence extension request from a British oil firm, accusing them of failing to meet their contractual obligations.

 

 

The announcement was made by the ruling junta, which has governed the country since a military coup in 2023 and has increasingly moved to assert greater control over the nation’s natural resources.

 

 

According to a government statement, concessions granted between 2017 and 2020 to three gold mining and processing companies, Comini, Afrior and Ecomine, have been revoked. Authorities said the companies “have not honoured” their commitments, including paying taxes, submitting annual technical and financial reports, and complying with environmental regulations.

 

 

Niger is a significant producer of uranium, gold and oil, although it currently operates only one active industrial gold mine, Samira gold mine, which the junta nationalised last year.

 

 

The government also rejected a request by British energy company Savannah Energy for an extension of its exploration and drilling licence in the country’s southeast. Officials said the firm had failed to comply with the terms of an output-sharing contract covering four oil blocks.

 

 

According to Savannah Energy, the blocks span roughly half of the Agadem Rift Basin, which is Niger’s primary oil-producing area. The company has previously said it recently made a significant oil discovery within the basin.