The African Development Bank approved a $144.34 million loan in Abidjan on 21 October for the second phase of a reform programme in Niger. The operation is designed to support implementation of the new electricity code, private-sector competitiveness and public financial management.
The new approval covers the second phase. In September 2025, Niger and the AfDB signed a separate 4.7 million agreement for the first phase of the same programme. The similar amounts refer to distinct operations and should not be combined.
The approved amount combines $123.72 million from the African Development Fund and $20.62 million from the Transition Support Facility, according to the institution. The board decision concerns an approved loan rather than funds already recorded as disbursed.
The energy component will support rules for decentralised rural electrification, including mini-grids and individual systems, as well as the creation of a body to promote renewable energy. The measures are intended to ease a major constraint on households and businesses outside the main urban centres.
The programme also provides for continued clearance of domestic arrears. Paying claims owed by the state could release cash for affected suppliers, although the AfDB statement did not specify the stock of arrears covered.
PAGSEC-II will also support the agency responsible for popular share ownership and community entrepreneurship, with particular attention to young people, and the development of Niamey’s second industrial zone.
The AfDB said the Court of Auditors and the public procurement regulator were again fully operational after the institutional disruption of 2023. The programme links these reforms to stronger safeguards for public funds and social spending, including water and sanitation.