On May 18, 2026, the Nigerien government formalized a decisive move in the Council of Ministers: the establishment of a state-owned uranium mining company and the termination of French firm Orano’s mining concession at Arlit. Under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tiani, President of the Republic, this decision officially ends over 50 years of French dominance in Niger’s uranium industry.
The newly created entity, Teloua Safeguarding Uranium Mining Company (TSUMCO SA), now oversees all assets previously held by the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR SA), which was nationalized in 2025. The site, recognized as one of the world’s most significant uranium deposits, boasts reserves estimated at 200,000 tonnes.
a strategic shift initiated in 2023
The removal of Orano was not an overnight decision. Since the July 2023 coup, Niamey has systematically dismantled foreign control over the sector: revocation of mining permits in 2024, nationalization of SOMAÏR in 2025, and the creation of TSUMCO SA in May 2026. The name Teloua—a nod to the underground aquifer beneath the former COMINAK mine—symbolizes this transition. Authorities have accused Orano of leaving millions of tonnes of radioactive waste on exploited sites since the 1970s, posing grave risks to local populations and ecosystems.
legal battle looms as exports face blockade
Orano, a company majority-owned by the French state, has launched multiple international arbitration proceedings against Niger. An arbitral tribunal has already ordered Niamey to halt the sale of uranium extracted from SOMAÏR, whose in-situ stock amounts to approximately 1,300 tonnes of concentrate, valued at an estimated €250 million by the French group. Ousmane Abarchi, Niger’s Minister of Mines, dismissed these legal maneuvers as « judicial harassment ».
The outcome of these disputes in international arbitration will determine whether TSUMCO SA can access global uranium markets. No official timeline for the proceedings has been disclosed.
