• Niger begins $10.7 million rehabilitation of Ibohamane irrigation scheme

• Project targets 750 hectares to boost output, reduce rain reliance

• Backed by World Bank program expanding irrigation across Tahoua region

Niger’s agriculture ministry began rehabilitation work on the Ibohamane irrigation scheme on April 19. The project covers a 750-hectare site in the Tahoua region that has been farmed since 1968.

The rehabilitation will cost 6 billion CFA francs ($10.7 million). According to the Nigerien press agency ANP, the project is part of the Program to Support the Competitiveness of Irrigation and Perimeter Agriculture (PACIPA), backed by the World Bank. It is also part of a national strategy to expand irrigation and secure agricultural output.

Under PACIPA, the government plans to rehabilitate and develop new irrigation schemes in several departments in Tahoua, including Abalak, Bouza, Keita and Tchintabaraden.

The projects aim to expand irrigation and reduce reliance on rain-fed farming, though challenges remain. FAO data shows that 269,000 hectares were equipped for irrigation in Niger in 2023, compared with an estimated irrigable potential of 5.7 million hectares. A 2025 FAO report found that irrigated land is 3.2 times more productive in value than rain-fed land.

Stéphanas Assocle