Africa-Press. The Prime Minister of Niger, Ali Muhammad Lamine Zain, arrived in Algeria on Wednesday evening, leading an important ministerial delegation for a two-day working visit. This is his second visit within a month, occurring amidst a rapid and significant transformation in political and economic cooperation between the two countries over the past year, following a brief diplomatic crisis in April 2025. Upon his arrival in Algeria, Zain met with the Algerian Prime Minister, Sefi Gharib, the Minister of Hydrocarbons, Mohamed Arkab, and the Minister of Energy, Mourad Adjali. They will discuss accelerating the implementation of a package of economic projects and trade partnerships, including activating agreements on trade corridors, free zones, and border markets between Algeria and Niger, amid an unprecedented dynamic in Algerian-Nigerien relations, especially since the visit of Niger’s President, General Abd al-Rahman Tiani, last February.
Notably, the visit of the Nigerien Prime Minister comes directly after an important visit by the Malian Prime Minister, Abdallah Maiga, aimed at closing the chapter on the crisis between Algeria and Bamako, which Niger contributed to mediating. The visit also follows two weeks after the Algerian Prime Minister Sefi Gharib’s visit to Niamey and the two countries achieving a significant energy milestone related to the commencement of joint oil drilling in the Kafra field near the border with Algeria. Algeria aims to present its relationship with Niger as a developed model of political trust and added economic and energy value, particularly in projects that hold strategic significance for both countries and the entire Sahel region.
The Algerian Prime Minister, Sefi Gharib, has visited Niamey three consecutive times since the beginning of this year. He visited Niger on March 24 for a meeting of the high joint committee between the two countries, during which the basic concepts for economic, trade, and security cooperation were established. He visited Niamey again in early June to participate in the inauguration of the Algerian-Nigerien solidarity power station, which Algeria financed and executed technically in the “Gourou Banda” area of the Nigerien capital, Niamey, and will provide energy to one million Nigerien citizens in Niamey. He made a third visit to Niamey on August 13 to inaugurate the Kafra oil field in Niger near the border with Algeria, which is overseen by the Algerian company Sonatrach in partnership with the Nigerien company Sonadib.
Algeria and Niger are linked by the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which also includes Nigeria. Algeria is responsible for the section related to Niger, which spans over 700 kilometers. On June 4, the first field step was initiated, with the first section of the pipeline laid in the Ouled Djellal area in Adrar Province, southern Algeria, to implement the project, which extends a total length of 4,130 kilometers, including 1,037 kilometers within Nigerian territory, 841 kilometers in Niger, and 2,310 kilometers in Algeria. The project connects gas fields in Nigeria, starting from Warri on the Niger River, to the Algerian network, allowing for the marketing of Nigerian gas, particularly in European markets, with a transport capacity estimated at between 20 and 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas coming from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria.
