Mr. Mahaman Lamin Zaina, Prime Minister of Niger’s Transitional Government, returned to Niamey from Saudi Arabia on the evening of Sunday, November 12, 2023, where he attended the Saudi-Africa Summit.

Lamin Zeena was welcomed at the foot of the gangway of the presidential plane by the Minister in charge of Defense, Lieutenant General Salifo Modi, in the presence of the Minister of Petroleum, Mr. Bak Mahaman Bako and several others.
Amid the illegal embargo imposed on Niger by ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union following the July 26, 2023 coup, the Saudi-African summit provided Prime Minister Lamine Zaina with an opportunity to speak out.

According to some sources, he also met with all ECOWAS presidents who took the decision to isolate Niger economically and socially.

It should be recalled that during his speech at the first Saudi-African Summit, the Prime Minister praised the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the African continent, which plays an important role in the “Mondia economy”.
In his speech, the Prime Minister of Niger expressed his sincere gratitude to the government and the people of Saudi Arabia for the warm reception of his delegation, “on behalf of Niger, CNSP Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, President of Niger” for this visit It’s because our country faces known challenges.
Furthermore, Niger attended the first Saudi-African summit, where, according to the Prime Minister, “our highest authorities, Brigadier General Abdelhamman Tiani and King Salman bin Abdulaziz, made it clear Hope to promote cooperation between Africa and Saudi Arabia” Arab, South-South cooperation as a reference.

He acknowledged that the theme of the meeting reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening cooperation between the African continent and Saudi Arabia, which plays an important role in the global economy.

Therefore, the Nigerien Prime Minister continued, “This is an excellent opportunity to highlight investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Africa, perfectly responding to the concerns of the entire continent and the priorities of Niger in particular.
“On a bilateral level, Niger has a long-standing relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is indeed full of huge mining, energy, hydrological, agricultural and animal potential,” recalls Lamin Zein, who said, “This The progressive value of this potential forms the frame of reference for all interventions by the State and its partners to create conditions for the structural transformation of Niger’s economy and the improvement of the well-being of its people.
“In addition to major producers of gold, phosphates and uranium, the country recently (i.e. on November 1) started crude oil production from the Agadem base, approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the country. From the Chadian border, the 666th In the same area where a group of Islamic envoys arrived, that is, relations between Saudi Arabia and Niger have existed since ancient times,” he stressed, noting that “the opportunities offered open doors”. Niger welcomes the prospect of more investors”.

To this end, the Prime Minister took this opportunity to invite all partners to come and share the bright future with Nigeria within the framework of a mutually beneficial and win-win partnership.

On the security front, Prime Minister Lamine Zaina recognized that “the Sahel region is marred by insecurity, with serious implications for peace and international security, and therefore requires collective and urgent action.” If there is one worthy of being here The concern of all distinguished leaders is the fight against this scourge that harms and even destroys the development efforts of our countries.

In Niger, “the continued deterioration of the security situation and poor economic governance led to the coup on July 26, led by Brigadier General Abdelhaman Tiani, chairman of the National Committee for the Defense of the Homeland,” he explained.

Indeed, “before these events, the choices our country had taken in combating terrorism were deeply inappropriate, and in terms of governance, the resources of the country were being used carelessly to appropriate public property by a group of people who were putting the team at risk.” At the same time, our foreign alliances are insulting our neighbors and putting our people in a completely unsafe situation,” the Prime Minister denounced.

This is why, he recalled, “Brigadier General Abdelhamman Tiani declared in his address to the nation the day before 3 August 2023 to commemorate the anniversary of Niger’s independence that the only reason that prompted the Security Council to act was to safeguard the , it is necessary to bring justice to our people.”

Immediately following these events, “the co-organisations of ECOWAS and WAEMU, under the influence of what we know today as France, introduced systematic, unfair and inhumane illegal sanctions aimed at isolating us diplomatically, It is unacceptable for Niger, with a 98% Muslim population, to delay receiving an invitation to attend the OIC summit,” he continued, reiterating his disapproval of “these sanctions that go against the principles of collective self-sufficiency, solidarity and values, the co-development of any integration process”.

The Nigerien people, through the voice of the Prime Minister, reiterated “their recognition of Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo, which have decided to facilitate the country’s supplies through their corridors”, while also saluting “Chad for its clear commitment” to defeating West Africa Economic Community’s military aggression, stand on the side of peace”.

In conclusion, Lamine Zaina reiterated his gratitude to “the Government of Saudi Arabia and its people for all the arrangements that have made our presence here visible and that Niger, a peaceful and united country, has decided to host all Those who are willing “invest”, then asked for special attention to the phenomenon of fundamentalism in order to finally identify who provides weapons to terrorists “so that together we can achieve our common goals, which are the development of our countries, peace and security in the world” “.

Nigeria has truly returned to the international stage. This time, as a sovereign country, it must be responsible for its own strategic choices and partners.