1.2. Problem Statement
Niger, country located in the sub-Saharian zone of Africa has
suffered for several decades the detrimental effects of CC with irregular
precipitations badly distributed in space and time. The climate is arid to the
north, Sahelian (300-600 mm) to the west, to the south-central and to the east
and Sahelo-Sudanian (> 600 mm) in the extreme south-west. Only 1% of the
territory (extreme southwest) receives more than 600 mm of rain per year, while
89% of the territory, located in the northern part, receives less than 350 mm
of rain per year (IFAD, 2013). The spatial, annual and inter-annual variability
of these precipitations expose populations to deficits in frequent
agro-pastoral production. As a matter of fact, its Sahelian climate is
reflected in recurrent dry years that have become more frequent since 1968
(CNEDD, 2006). This situation is linked to the nature of Niger's climate and to
CCs whose manifestations through the adverse effects of extreme weather events
constitute a major handicap for the development of the country. Recurrent
droughts cause negative impacts on the natural environment, such as the loss of
forest resources, loss of biodiversity, land degradation and depletion of water
resources. By undermining ecosystems, CC compromises food production in general
and increases the rivalries and tensions between human communities for access
to natural resources.
With a population estimated at 17,807,117 inhabitants in 2013
(INS-Niger, 2014), Niger has a low-diversified economy characterised by a high
dependence on the primary sector (agriculture and livestock). By assessing the
structure of Niger`s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014, it is clear that the
primary sector is predominant and contributes to 35.5% followed by the tertiary
sector (38.6%) compared with only 18.9% for the secondary sector dominated by
the exploitation of Uranium (UNCEA, 2015).
That is why Niger now focuses on industrial development
through the extractive and agro-food industries which can be a pillar for the
national economy and contribute to strengthening the country's economic
development. In addition, the contribution of the industrial sector to the
formation of GDP has remained negligible with fewer companies in the mining
sector (Uranium, Coal and Gold).
However, industrial units are considered to be polluting
enterprises because they are responsible for the emission of considerable
quantities of pollutants, the effects of which are detrimental to the human
health and the biophysical environment. Therefore, the integration of the
concept of sustainable development into the planning systems for the
implementation of major industrial projects becomes essential to meet society's
growing concerns about economic, social and environmental issues.
In order to deal with this situation, Niger has put in place a
legal framework for environmental protection, in particular that related to
environmental and social assessments, in accordance with international
1 Decree 2011-057/PCSRD/PM of January 27th, 2011 that modifies
and completes the Decree 2000-072/PRN/PM of August 04th, 2000 concerning the
creation, assigning and composition of CNEDD.
3
commitments on environment. However, the legal texts governing
environmental and social assessments in Niger have been adopted almost 19 years
ago2 and present enormous inadequacies in the sense that they do not
take into account the CC dimension in the development and implementation of
national or/and sectorial policies, plans and programmes.
It is therefore imperative to rethink the mechanisms of
dealing with global environmental problems, in particular, CC through updating
the legislative environmental framework and appropriate ways of planning, but
also by strengthening the environmental assessment for the implementation of
policies, plans and programmes with a view on synergy of action, taking into
account the views of stakeholders (public participation) and response to
current demands.
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