On Monday 28 May 2018, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Nigeriens outside the Republic of Niger, Kalla Ankouraou, accompanied by representatives of various sectoral ministries, visited Luxembourg on the occasion the 11th Partnership Commission, which provided an update on the implementation of the 3rd Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP) and relations between the two countries beyond development cooperation.

The activities of the Luxembourg Cooperation in this partner country date back to 1989. The 3rd ICP, which covers the period 2016-2020, has an envelope of €85.5 million and focuses on the priority sectors of rural development, education, technical and vocational education and training, and water and sanitation.

Luxembourg is today one of the largest bilateral donors and plays an important role, within the framework of its mandate of leading technical and financial partners, in the strategic sector of water and sanitation. By aligning itself entirely with the priorities, procedures and financial tools of the Nigerien partner, the Luxembourg Cooperation programmes promote the ownership and capacity building of the Nigerien actors concerned.

During the political dialogue, the two ministers discussed development cooperation, the diversification of bilateral relations, the political and socio-economic situation of Niger and the security challenges that persist in this country and throughout the Sahel region. Ministers also discussed the rule of law and civil society in connection with the recent arrests of representatives of Nigerien civil society.

In the framework of the Partnership Commission, Minister Kalla Ankouraou and Minister Romain Schneider discussed the various bilateral programmes implemented by the Luxembourg Cooperation in Niger and spoke about the microfinance sector in Niger, the priorities of the Niger government in the framework of the Economic and Social Development Program of Niger (PDES 2017 -2021), Luxembourg's sectoral chief of sector mandate in the sector of water and sanitation.