Niger has handed two major uranium mining licences, once held by France’s Orano and Canada’s GoviEx, to newly formed domestic companies, according to a government statement.
Teloua Safeguarding Uranium Mining Company now controls the Arlit-based operation, a concession stripped from Orano’s subsidiary Somair after years of mounting friction.
Madaouela Mining Company has meanwhile inherited the Madaouela I site, previously licensed to GoviEx before Niger revoked the Canadian firm’s rights.
Orano’s downfall began in June 2024, when Niger’s military government severed decades-old mining agreements with its former colonial partner.
By June 2025, despite Orano’s legal challenges abroad, authorities moved to fully nationalise Somair, ending a partnership stretching back to 1971.
GoviEx lost its foothold a year earlier, after missing a government deadline to launch production at its site.
The reshuffle reflects Niger’s broader push, since its 2023 coup, to tighten state control over uranium wealth while courting new international partners.