The Republic of Niger (NE) is governed by a unicameral National Assembly with its seat of government in Niamey, the capital. It is a member of the UN, UNESCO and the World Trade Organization.

Niger is the world's 147th largest economy by GDP and has a population of 17,466,172.¹  Internet users as of December 2013 stood at 296,925, or 1.7% of the population.²  As of December 2012 the country had 63,500 Facebook users, or 0.4% penetration.³

In Q4 of 2012 the total number of mobile subscribers in Niger was approximately 5,251,000 and in Q4 of 2013 the total was approximately 4,193,000, a decrease of 20.16%.  This figure includes both contract and pre-paid connections.⁴

Currently, the youth population (0 - 14 years) represents 49.8% of the population.⁵

The Republic of Niger is mostly desert and it is one of the poorest nations in the world, ranked 186th in the 2011 Human Development Index⁶, with only the Democratic Republic of Congo ranking lower⁷. The country has improved its communications infrastructure in recent years, but a World Bank working paper states that only 8% of the population has access to electric power.⁸  The issue of the lack of electricity to citizens is being addressed by the Cellule d’Electrification Rurale (CER) (Rural Electrification Unit) within the Ministry of Mines and Energy, created by decree in 2006 to promote and coordinate rural electrification.⁹

With support from the UNECA (UN Economic Commission for Africa), Niger finalized its ICT Development Plan in May 2005.¹⁰  It concentrates on six main strategic components, namely infrastructure development, linking ICT to the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), legal and regulatory issues on ICT, content development, capacity-building, and e-government.

Support from organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF has seen an annual increase in classroom provision and the UNDP provides an annual allocation of computers to schools.  The country is not yet at the stage of being able to integrate ICT into the curriculum, although the government recognizes that this would benefit the country and is working towards achieving this.

The Penal Code of Niger does not currently mention the use of ICT as a means to commit crimes, although existing laws often impose higher penalties where the victim is a child or a position of trust was abused.  Draft laws from 2006 demonstrate a desire to update legislation to include the use of ICT but no information could be found as to any progress which has been made in this area to date.

No organizations currently appear to offer Internet safety advice to citizens of Niger, although given the challenges previously mentioned and the very low Internet penetration rate, this is understandable and may well change as connectivity increases in the future.

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Each year, the government of Niger builds 1,000 classrooms in rural areas under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, a World Bank and IMF program launched in 1996 as the first international response to provide comprehensive debt relief to the world's poorest, most heavily indebted countries.¹¹

The UNDP donates 400 computers to the Niger educational system each year.  The project, which started in 2005, is a partnership between the UNDP and the government of Niger, and benefits 40 schools and approximately 20,000 students.¹²

Within the framework of the ICT Development Plan of 2005, one of the government’s goals is to link ICT to its Poverty Reduction Strategy, which includes the objective of utilizing ICT to accelerate and improve access to basic services, such as education, for the most economically-disadvantaged citizens.¹³  Key initiatives to accomplish this include the introduction of ICT in educational programs at all levels, and the promotion of distance education and academic research networks.  The plan does not specify in what way ICT should be integrated, or which subjects will be covered.

The government’s ICT plans focus on employing ICT to reduce the acute levels of illiteracy in the population, in the hope of creating new employment opportunities.¹⁴  However, due to the country’s extreme, widespread poverty, the latest education development plan, the 10-year Programme Décennal de Développement de l'Education au Niger (PDDE) 2003 - 2012, does not include any indication of ICT integration in education.¹⁵

This section contains details of the country’s laws as they relate to sexual offenses, children and the use of the Internet in the commission of criminal activity. Where possible, sentence details have been given, including whether an increased custodial penalty is imposed where the victim is a child.

The law in Niger does not provide a minimum age of consensual sex.  The minimum age for marriage without parental consent is fifteen for girls and eighteen for boys.  The age of majority is eighteen.

In 2006, the government of Niger developed a set of draft laws related to ICT, including a bill on the revision of the Penal Code to reflect cyber crime.¹⁶  It is said to strengthen the protection of minors and morality online, although no further details about its content or status could be found at the present time.¹⁷

• Article 220, Penal Code.  This Article states that anyone who, by any means whatsoever, makes a false accusation against one or more individuals to the police or any other competent authority will be punished by imprisonment for between six months and five years, and a fine of between 50,000 to 500,000 francs.
• Article 275, Penal Code.  Defines public indecency as any material act that affronts public decency and is committed under conditions such that the act was witnessed by, or could have been witnessed by, a third person who may have found it offensive.
• Article 276, Penal Code.  Imposes a penalty of imprisonment for a term of between three months and three years and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 francs for anyone who commits an act of public indecency.
• Article 277, Penal Code.  Defines indecent assault as any indecent act committed with impunity directly against another person of either sex.
• Article 278, Penal Code.  Imposes a penalty of between two and ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 20,000 to 200,000 francs for anyone who indecently assaults, with or without violence, a child under the age of thirteen.
• Article 280, Penal Code.  This Article states that anyone who commits a violent assault on another person will be liable to imprisonment for between two to ten years and a fine of between 20,000 to 200,000 francs.  Where the victim is a child under the age of thirteen, an aggravated penalty of between ten and 20 years’ imprisonment will apply.
• Article 281.1, Penal Code.  Defines sexual harassment as the use of orders, threats or constraints to obtain favors of a sexual nature.  The penalty for sexual harassment is between three and six months’ imprisonment and a fine of between 10,000 to 100,000 francs.  Where the offender abused a position of authority, an increased prison sentence of between three months and one year will apply, in addition to a fine of between 20,000 to 200,000 francs.
• Article 282, Penal Code.  States that anyone who commits a lewd act or an act against nature with a minor of the same sex, who is under the age of 21, shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of between six months to three years and a fine of not less than 10,000 francs and not more than 100,000 francs.
• Article 283, Penal Code.  Defines rape as any act of sexual penetration, in any form, committed on one person by another by means of violence, constraint, threat or surprise.
• Article 284, Penal Code.  Imposes a penalty of imprisonment for between ten and 20 years for anyone guilty of rape.  Where the victim is a minor under the age of thirteen, the offender will be liable to between fifteen and 30 years’ imprisonment.
• Article 291, Penal Code.  This Article states that anyone who, in any way, aids, assists or abets the prostitution of others or solicits for prostitution is considered a pimp and will be liable to imprisonment for between six months and three years and a fine of between 50,000 to 5m francs.  The same penalty applies to anyone who shares the proceeds of the prostitution of others; procures, entices or keeps, even with consent, a person engaged in prostitution or debauchery; or acts as an intermediary between two or more people engaged in prostitution.
• Article 292, Penal Code.  Imposes a penalty of between two and five years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 50,000 to 5m francs for anyone who commits any of the offenses described in Article 291 where the victim was a minor; the offense was accompanied by threats, coercion, assault, abuse of authority or fraud; the offender carried a weapon; the offense was committed jointly by two or more persons or there was more than one victim.
• Article 293, Penal Code.  States that anyone who attempts to corrupt morals by inciting, promoting or facilitating the prostitution of minors below the age of 21 will be liable to between two and five years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 50,000 to 5m francs.

Government

Ministry of National Education
The Ministry’s website includes information of the organizational structure of the Ministry, its publications and the laws to which it adheres, as well as current and past projects.  To find out more go to http://www.men.ne/

Non-Government

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Sources

Page last reviewed August 27, 2014

¹ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ (last accessed August 22, 2014)
² http://www.internetworldstats.com (last accessed August 22, 2014)
³ http://www.internetworldstats.com (last accessed August 22, 2014)
⁴ https://gsmaintelligence.com/ (last accessed August 22, 2014)
⁵ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ (last accessed August 22, 2014)
⁶ http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/NER.html (last accessed October 8, 2012)
⁷ http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/COD.html (last accessed October 8, 2012)
⁸ http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1871595## (last accessed October 8, 2012)
⁹ http://www.riaed.net/?Cellule-d-electrification-rurale (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹⁰ http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/Plan%20NICI_MAJ.pdf (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹¹ http://www.infodev.org/en/Document.421.pdf (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹² http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/november/zidane-to-visit-niger.en (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹³ http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/Plan%20NICI_MAJ.pdf (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹⁴ http://www.infodev.org/en/Document.421.pdf (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹⁵ http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Niger/Niger%20PDDE-_Rapport_d_activites_de_l_an_2-2004-2005-2.pdf (last accessed October 1, 2012)
¹⁶ http://it4all.org/fgi-ac/images/IGF-AC_2012/Experience%20Nigerienne%20du%20Projet%20cadre%20juridique%20des%20TIC%20-%20Adamou%20Iro%20-%20FR.pdf (last accessed September 26, 2012)
¹⁷ http://www.cipaco.org/spip.php?article1012&lang=en (last accessed September 26, 2012)