Niger's Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, officially launched construction of a third drinking-water treatment plant for Niamey at Karey Gorou on 6 October 2026, under President Tiani's patronage. Le Sahel and the Agence Nigérienne de Presse (ANP) report the project costs FCFA 166 billion, spans 9 construction lots, and carries a 30-month contractual timeline. The plant will add 100,000 cubic metres of daily treatment capacity, part of a wider package including an expanded distribution network, 47,200 cubic metres of storage and 45,000 social connections expected to benefit roughly 450,000 people.
At the launch ceremony, the World Bank's resident representative in Niger, Johan A. Mistiaen, described the project as reflecting the partnership between Niger and the World Bank Group in the water sector, noting the institution's cumulative investment in Niger's water sector exceeds $800 million (about FCFA 468 billion). Government officials speaking at the event credited the World Bank specifically, via the Plateforme Intégrée pour la Sécurité de l'Eau au Niger (PISEN), for supporting the works.
Journal du Niger additionally reported that this first phase of the plant is financed by a consortium including the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Development Agency (AFD) and Dutch authorities, with the World Bank playing a lead role in oversight. Project planning documents, including an environmental and social resettlement plan published for the Karey Gorou scheme, confirm that Niger sought and obtained financing from the World Bank, the EIB, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and AFD for construction of the plant and its associated distribution and transmission infrastructure. AFD has separately confirmed a concessional loan of €40 million (about FCFA 26.2 billion) specifically earmarked for strengthening Niamey's water supply through the Karey Gorou plant. This suggests the 166 billion FCFA project is financed by multiple partners, even though government speakers at the launch ceremony highlighted the World Bank's role.
The project is framed domestically under Axis 4 of the junta's 'Program for the Refoundation of the Republic,' linking service delivery to the Tiani government's legitimacy narrative. Journal du Niger reported that the plant forms the first phase of a master plan ultimately targeting 250,000 cubic metres of daily capacity, with two additional 75,000 cubic metre phases planned to meet demand through 2030.
No source specifies an exact completion date beyond the 30-month window, and whether the 166 billion FCFA figure covers only the treatment plant or the full network package, including the 45,000 connections, is not clearly disaggregated across available reporting.