Niger: military coup reversed hard-won gains reached during democratic government — ACSS study

The military coup in Niger has reversed hard-earned gains in the previous decade under democratically elected governments, as it has impacted every sector of Nigerian society, demonstrating the centrality of governance to security, economic, and social outcomes, a new study by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) has found.
The derailing of Niger’s constitutional order by the military coup in July 2023 has resulted in a deterioration in security, economic well being, and agency for Nigerian citizens, says the study titled ‘Niger Coup Reversing Hard-Earned Gains’. A snapshot of an array of these outcomes reveals a marked shift in West African country’s trajectory since the military coup. Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, Niger had realized discernible gains in the decade prior to the coup under two democratically elected presidents, many of which have since been upended.
The study also outlines how the progress reached in the years before the military takeover has since been undermined, negatively affecting the landlocked country of 25 million people. When it comes to the ‘security’ indicator, after the coup, fatalities linked to extremist groups are projected to increase by more than 60% in 2024 compared with 2023. Talking about the ‘economic’ indicator, the study points out that the Nigerian junta has already missed four debt payments and has now defaulted on $519 million in debt. It also notes that World Bank-projected economic growth in 2024 is expected to decline by 45% from previous estimates. When it comes to the ‘democratic space’ indicator, while the election of the now-deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, with 56% of the vote in February 2021, was widely seen as free and fair, the military junta has since coming to power replaced all regional governors with military loyalists.