Niger has granted two major uranium mining permits to national companies, two years after the military-led government began taking key uranium assets back from foreign operators and placing them under state and national control.
The latest move is part of a broader restructuring of Niger’s uranium industry that began in 2024, when the government started withdrawing foreign-held mining rights and returning strategic uranium assets to the state.
The decision was taken by the Council of Ministers in Niamey on Friday, August 21, 2026, under the chairmanship of General Abdourahamane Tiani.
The first permit covers the In Azaoua uranium mining perimeter in the Arlit Commune of the Agadez Region and was awarded to Teloua Safeguarding Uranium Mining Company (TSUMCO SA).
TSUMCO was created by the Nigerien government following the nationalisation of Société des Mines de l'Aïr (SOMAÏR), which previously operated the uranium perimeter. According to the Council of Ministers, TSUMCO was established to take over work on the area previously exploited by SOMAÏR while awaiting a formal large-scale mining permit.
