The Nigerien Council of Ministers, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, adopted a draft ordinance nationalizing Societe des Mines de l’Air (Somair SA), a subsidiary of the French group Orano accused by the authorities in Niamey of “irresponsible, illegal, and disloyal behavior.”
The decision follows a series of actions taken by Orano since the events of July 26, 2023, the date of the Coup d’Etat that brought General Abdourahmane Tiani to power.
Founded in February 1968, SOMAIR has been mining uranium since 1971 in Arlit, in the Agadez region.
The company, with a capital of 4.348 billion CFA francs, was 63.40 per cent owned by Orano and 36.60 per cent by the Nigerien state-owned company SOPAMIN.
Unbalanced Production and Growing Tensions
According to the Nigerien government, the distribution of marketed production did not respect shareholder shares. Of the 80,518 tonnes of uranium marketed since 1971, Orano allegedly took 86.3 per cent compared to only 9.2 per cent for SOPAMIN, even though the agreements provided for a pro rata distribution of stakes.
The authorities have denounced several actions by Orano since July 2023: repatriation of French nationals “without notice,” attempts to shut down production during extraordinary board meetings, disconnection of Somair’s IT system in December 2024 and termination of licenses.
The French group also filed a complaint against the State of Niger before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on January 20, 2025, after “announcing that it had lost control” of Somair.
“Intoxication Campaigns” and Site Abandonment
The government statement also accuses Orano of having conducted “intoxication campaigns” against the company and its partners, and of having abandoned the rehabilitation work at the COMINAK site, another
uranium mine operated from 1978 to 2021.
“Faced with this irresponsible, illegal, and disloyal behavior by Orano, a company owned by the French State, a State openly hostile to Niger since July 26, 2023, and supporting terrorism in the Sahel, the State of Niger has decided, in all sovereignty, to nationalize SOMAIR,” the statement sent to APA says.
Full Transfer to the State
The nationalization provides for the full transfer of Somair’s shares and assets to the Nigerien state. Former shareholders will receive compensation, “taking into account all their legal obligations,” including the costs of rehabilitating the mining sites.
Somair’s Board of Directors is dissolved, and the current executive management will provide transitional management pending the effective transfer to the new leadership.
This nationalization is part of the economic sovereignty policy advocated by the authorities following the July 2023 coup, who have also terminated military cooperation agreements with France and joined the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Uranium represents a major strategic resource for Niger, one of the world’s leading producers of this mineral used in the nuclear industry.
AC/Sf/fss/gik/APA