Niger, located in the heart of the Sahel and possibly the world’s leading producer of tiger nuts, faces serious challenges of insecurity, political instability and humanitarian crisis. However, Tigernuts has ensured a regular supply of the product since the beginning of the crisis. This is the current situation.
As one of the poorest countries in the world, it suffers attacks from extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State, inter-community conflicts exacerbated by climate change and the aftermath of a coup d’état in 2023 that led to the closure of borders by other ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) countries with the intention of forcing the government in power to return sovereignty to the National Assembly.
This situation seriously hinders the export of raw materials. The movement of goods has been severely affected since 2024, with the tiger nuts having to be sent in lorries escorted by the army at certain points (currently, these escorts are still necessary). This has obviously led to an increase in costs that were not considered under normal conditions and which, to a large extent, have been absorbed by Tigernuts. However, our mandate is clear and for that reason we are working tirelessly to guarantee the supply of tiger nuts, despite the continuous difficulties of transporting the goods to the ports of the Gulf of Guinea (Cotonou, Lomé, Abidjan), which are vital for export.
For the first half of 2025, no improvement in the context is expected, with the military escort being maintained on the stretch between Dori and Kaya, waiting for the borders of Fottyango or Malanville to open.