NIAMEY

The initial settlement dates back to the 18th century but it was inconsequential until the French built their colonial outpost around 1890. It was designated as the capital of Niger in 1926 and is the administrative, economic, political and educational center of the country.

Some of the sites to see include:

The National Museum and Zoo

The Grande Mosque

The Grand Market

along with several European, American and local culture centers the University, the National School of Administration and the famous Tree of Tenure which is a single acacia in the middle of the desert 400 kilometers away from the next tree.

The city itself is built around Niger River and during the course of its expansion it absorbed many local surrounding settlements. The main growth period was from 1970 to 1988 when the economy was booming due to the trade of the country’s uranium deposits. This trade has now subsided as the demand for uranium has been reduced greatly.

While it may be the seat of the central government, Niamey is governed by a local governor like any other department in the 7 other states. At this time the appointed governor is Mrs. Aïchatou Boulama Kané in a rare example of a woman holding an important position in a Muslim country.

Most of the city still consists of low houses built in the traditional vernacular architecture. However,  these are gradually replaced by more modern higher rise buildings especially wherever these building are to be used in some official capacity (hotels, markets, business centers etc…)