Niger expects GDP growth to rise to 6.5 pct in 2019

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou attends the opening of the 54th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, in Abuja, Nigeria December 22, 2018. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

Niger expects economic growth to rise to 6.5 percent in 2019 from 5.2 percent last year, owing in part to significant investments in the oil sector, President Mahamadou Issoufou has said.


In an address late on Monday, Issoufou said the oil sector would receive $4 billion in investment over the next two years.

Niger wants to expand its oil sector in part to make up for low prices for uranium, of which it is one of the world’s leading producers.