Should French companies leave the Sahel? - Young Africa

2023-08-23 14:22:45

The day after the coup d’etat perpetrated against Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, a question was on everyone’s lips: what about uranium? Indeed, with Orano, the multinational 45%-owned by the French state, France imports this mineral essential to the operation of its nuclear power plants from the Nigerien desert.

To readDoes France depend on Niger’s uranium resources?

But very quickly, Orano and the mining companies active in the sector, affirmed that the coup d’etat does not change anything for it. Or and little. “The event has no impact on our activities,” reacted Stephen G. Roman, CEO of the Canadian company Global Atomic which is developing the Dasa project. On the Orano side, management mentions “particular attention to ensure the safety of all [ses] collaborators and [ses] sites on the spot”.