M. Issoufou: “No strong institutions by fiddling with the Constitutions”

Niger, a country of proud Sahelians, is seeing its fate currently thwarted by recurring jihadist attacks which have already claimed hundreds of lives. Holder of the world fertility record with 7.6 children per woman, it is experiencing slow development which makes it one of the poorest countries in the world. Its president for ten years, Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, is nonetheless “proud” of his record. Marked by numerous coups d’état, Niger should experience a peaceful political transition

The pride of a peaceful political transition

“This is the first time in 60 years that there has been a handover from a democratically elected president to another democratically elected. We are in the process of establishing a democratic tradition ”, he rejoices, at the end of the two mandates, the maximum provided for by the Constitution. He assures that he did not have to resist the sirens of a third term, like some of his African peers, who cling to power. “You cannot have strong institutions by fiddling with the Constitutions, by changing the rules of the game during the game. I cannot embark on the adventure of a third term. This would have weakened the institutions that we are building, ”he emphasizes.

The big favorite in the presidential election, the second round of which will be held on February 20, is none other than Mohamed Bazoum, his runner-up and right-hand man, who benefited from the state apparatus for his campaign. Mahamadou Issoufou brushes aside the accusations of Nigerien opponents who tax the country as a “democracy”, regretting the prohibitions on demonstrations or the frequent arrests of civil society activists: “Democracy is freedom and order”, replied the President. “There is no democracy without order, in the same way that there is no democracy without freedom. “In terms of the fight against jihadism, he calls for an“ international coalition ”, one of his leitmotivs.

Insecurity to tame

“The entire Sahel is infested. Security is a global public good. What is happening in the Sahel concerns the rest of the world. If terrorism manages to gain a foothold in Africa, it will gain a foothold in Europe, ”said Mr. Issoufou, while his country suffered, on Saturday, the most deadly jihadist attack against civilians with 100 dead. The president gets angry when we talk about local criticism of the presence of foreign forces, particularly French ones, in the Sahel: “These are not foreign interventions, they are allied interventions. We have a war against an enemy. In all wars, there are alliances. ” And he says ” [s]’astonish’ that even those who criticize foreign operations “do not denounce the terrorists”.

Economic integration to succeed

On the economic and social level, Mr. Issoufou, who has been very active on the issue of the African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf), firmly believes in regional integration to “bring out the Niger and the continent”. “Afro-pessimism is behind us,” he promises, calling for “ambitious policies [et à] the deepening of certain values, notably democratic and human rights ”. “The free trade area whose trade will begin on 1^is January will create the largest market in the world with 1.2 billion consumers, ”he says. “This will put an end to the balkanized markets that Africa has known and which have been the basis of many industrial policy failures due to too narrow markets. “But in this promised new market,” we must have something to exchange “, ensuring that” we have planned an industrial development plan “and” an agricultural development plan so that Africa can feed itself “.

A demographic challenge to be met

“With the vastness of the arable land that we have, Africa must be able to produce its food,” said Mr. Issoufou. “Regarding the CFA, we have made reforms which show our willingness to move towards the single currency. [À terme], I see a single currency at the level of the ECOWAS “, he thinks, estimating that, for” the single African currency, it will be necessary to wait several decades “. The president is also optimistic about the demographics of his country, saying he is “on the right track”.

Niger, which had only 3 million inhabitants at independence in 1960, now has 23 million. With an annual population growth rate of 3.9% per year (world record), the population will reach 70 million by 2050 if nothing changes. “We have lowered the fertility rate. It is a long-term action. […] We have mobilized religious and traditional leaders with religious arguments that justify the need for demographic transition ”. “Population growth eats up a good part of economic growth” of 6 to 7% in recent years, adds the president, who insists: “We will manage to control this exponential growth which, unfortunately, makes difficult the rapid progress of Niger towards ’emergence. “Among the priority areas,” young girls must be kept in school at least until the age of 16 in order to avoid early marriages and pregnancies, “he says.

When it comes time to take stock, Issoufou smiles: “I am proud of the whole, the promises I made to the Nigerien people, I kept them. »And the rest? “Until April 2, I continue to be at the helm, but there is no vacuum, there is life after power. ”