Niger: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: WAEMU/BCEAO regional framework: WAEMU AML/CFT Uniform Law (March 2023) defining VASPs; BCEAO Instruction N°008-05-2015 on electronic money; no Niger-specific national crypto legislation

Niger has no standalone national cryptocurrency law; digital-asset policy is set at the regional level by the BCEAO and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). The March 2023 WAEMU uniform AML/CFT law introduced the first regional VASP definitions and a prior-authorisation requirement, but individual member states, including Niger, have not yet enacted national implementing legislation. A landmark BCEAO international conference (Dakar, May 2026) is driving work toward a harmonised WAEMU-wide regulatory framework, signalling intent but leaving the regime firmly in a developing phase.

Framework: No AI-specific law in force. The government (via the Ministry in charge of the digital economy and the Agence Nationale pour la Société de l'Information, ANSI) has publicly announced its intent to develop a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and Data Management; general data processing is governed by the personal-data protection law enforced by the Haute Autorité de Protection des Données à caractère Personnel (HAPDP).

Niger does not yet have a dedicated AI law, sectoral AI rules, or adopted AI guidelines. The government has officially declared it will elaborate a national AI and data-governance strategy through an inclusive, ethics-focused process, using the annual state-organized 'Semaine de l'Intelligence Artificielle et des Technologies Géospatiales' (SIATeG, first held November 2024) as a consultation platform. In the meantime, AI-relevant activity is touched only by Niger's general personal-data protection regime and its broader digital/cybersecurity strategies.

Framework: Law No. 2022-59 of 16 December 2022 on the Protection of Personal Data (as amended by Law No. 2023-31 of 4 July 2023 and Ordinances 2024-16 and 2024-29), enforced by the Haute Autorité de Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel (HAPDP)

Niger has a comprehensive personal data protection law, Law No. 2022-59 of 16 December 2022, which repealed the earlier 2017 and 2019 legislation and aligns the framework more closely with international standards. The independent supervisory authority, the HAPDP, became operational in August 2020 and holds powers to receive complaints, conduct audits, and impose administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions. The law has been further amended by Law No. 2023-31 (July 2023) and two executive ordinances in 2024 to keep pace with technological evolution.

Framework: BCEAO (Central Bank of West African States) under the WAEMU/UEMOA monetary union, Instruction N°001-01-2024 of 23 January 2024 on payment services, plus the e-money issuer (EMI) framework. Niger does not have a separate national regime; payments and fintech are licensed regionally by the BCEAO.

Niger applies the harmonized WAEMU framework administered by the BCEAO rather than a stand-alone national regime. A clear, mandatory licensing regime exists: Instruction N°001-01-2024 requires payment service providers to obtain a Payment Institution licence, alongside the long-standing Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence for mobile money and e-wallets. The BCEAO also operates the region-wide interoperable instant-payment platform PI-SPI, launched in September 2025.

Framework: Niger's general immigration regime administered by the immigration authority (SENAMI / Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire et des Migrations) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs; work authorization via the Ministry of Labour. No remote-work-specific statute exists.

Niger has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa and no residency-by-investment/golden-visa program. Foreigners wishing to relocate must use general routes: an e-visa or short-stay tourist visa (single entry, max ~30 days, extendable), or an employer-sponsored work permit plus residence permit (carte de séjour) tailored to work, study or family reunification. A self-employed or foreign-income 'nomad' has no purpose-built pathway, and Niger's 2025 exit from ECOWAS adds uncertainty to regional free-movement rights.

Framework: Law No. 2019-33 of 3 July 2019 on the repression of cybercrime, as amended by Ordinance No. 2024-28 of 7 June 2024; Law No. 2018-45 of 12 July 2018 on electronic communications. Telecom sector overseen by ARCEP; the country has been under military rule (CNSP) since the July 2023 coup.

Niger has no comprehensive online-safety or platform-regulation regime comparable to the EU DSA or UK OSA. Instead, the ruling military authorities use a broad cybercrime law, re-amended in June 2024 to restore prison terms for online defamation and for 'disseminating data likely to disturb public order', together with foreign-media suspensions and a 2025 proposal to license social-media groups, amounting to heavy state restriction of online expression rather than a user-safety framework.

Framework: No single comprehensive cybersecurity (NIS2-style) act. The regime is a patchwork: Law No. 2019-33 of 3 July 2019 on cybercrime repression (amended by Ordinance in June 2024); personal-data protection law (Law 2022-59 of 16 Dec 2022, as amended, enforced by the HAPDP); Law 2019-03 of 30 April 2019 on electronic transactions; and telecom/electronic-communications regulation. A National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023-2027 and a National Cybersecurity Centre (CNAC, created by decree Oct 2025) provide the institutional layer.

Niger has no overarching comprehensive cybersecurity law imposing horizontal security and incident-reporting duties on operators; instead it relies on a set of topic- and sector-specific instruments, a criminal cybercrime law, a personal-data protection law with a dedicated authority (HAPDP), and electronic-transactions/telecom rules. These are reinforced by a non-binding National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023-2027 and the newly created National Cybersecurity Centre (CNAC, Oct 2025), which is mandated to coordinate the protection of sensitive and critical information systems. Niger is party to the AU Malabo Convention and the Budapest Convention.

Framework: OHADA Uniform Acts (commercial company law) and Niger's national Investment Code, administered through the Centre de Formalités des Entreprises (CFE) / Maison de l'Entreprise one-stop shop and the Registre du Commerce et du Crédit Mobilier (RCCM).

Niger permits full foreign ownership of most companies and has streamlined registration into a single-window process (the CFE/Maison de l'Entreprise) that can complete a SARL in about three days for a modest cost. However, formation still requires a notary under OHADA, strategic sectors (mining, energy, national security) carry mandatory state participation, and the broader operating environment has been disrupted since the July 2023 coup, ECOWAS withdrawal and associated sanctions aftermath.