(Ecofin Agency) - Fighting food insecurity, Niger’s authorities announced they were in talks with Saudi firm Al Horaish for Trading & Industry regarding the sale of 120,000 hectares of agricultural lands situated in the Diffa region, in the eastern part of Niger. Disapproving the project, the civic society said it equals to grabbing agro-pastoral lands which happen to be vital to local communities.

The president of the regional council of Diffa, Meyrou Malam Ligari, in an attempt to calm the situation, told RFI that the populations that will be expropriated as a result of the project would still be able to survive since “they will be given space to keep producing what they used to because build industrial units have been planned”. “This will add value to their productions, regionally,” he added.

The controversial project should lead to the “creation of 13,000 jobs, construction of schools, health centers, as well as to the development of a 70 MW power plant. Diffa will also benefit from an annual royalty of 500mln-1bn FCFA, in addition to a 15% dividend and tax receipts which will be paid to the State. Feasibility and identification studies have already been conducted. However, only studies to assess the project’s social and environmental impact are left,” RFI indicated.

Upon its concretization, the acquisition will confirm the interest of foreign investors in Africa’s agricultural lands which have been evaluated to 202 million hectares in 2013, by the World Bank. 

Souha Touré