When Niger’s government unveiled Decree No. 2022-743/PRN/PM on 29 September 2022, it promised a clean break with the past. The new text introduced a ‘competitive dialogue’ procedure designed to modernise public procurement, tighten spending, improve transparency and give the state access to the technical expertise needed for major development projects. Three years on, the fallout is now clear: the reform has produced almost no tangible change for the national economy, and the public debate around it has grown sharper rather than quieter.
A sophisticated procedure that never got off the ground
On paper, competitive dialogue looked like a step forward. It allowed public buyers to sit down with several shortlisted bidders and jointly design the most suitable technical, legal or financial solutions. In the day-to-day work of Niger’s public administrations, however, the mechanism has remained largely theoretical.
- Weak technical ownership: With no proper training and no clear methodological guides for procurement officers, the procedure is widely seen as too complex and cumbersome to handle.
- The pull of old habits: Contracting authorities keep falling back on traditional methods or, more worryingly, on derogatory procedures that deliver none of the added value promised by the 2022 text.
- No flagship project delivered: In three years, the major infrastructure contracts that were supposed to benefit from this competitive flexibility have produced no visible spin-offs and no measurable efficiency gains for the public purse.
The gap between the refoundation narrative and direct deals
While the language of ‘refoundation’ and strict management is repeated at every opportunity, the persistence of direct award practices and negotiated deals contradicts the intentions written into the 2022 decree. Instead of fostering healthy competition and transparency, the revamped legal framework often serves as an administrative shop window to reassure observers, while the reality on the ground remains marked by opacity and weak accountability.
Local companies, which were supposed to be the main beneficiaries of a more open dialogue with the state, continue to complain about limited access to major opportunities and the slow pace of procedures.
What the record shows after three years
Three years of theoretical application lay bare the gap between legislative output and operational reality:
- No impact on cost reduction: The financial savings expected from stronger competition have not shown up in public accounts.
- Transparency that flatters to deceive: Audits and evaluation reports on the actual use of competitive dialogue are still virtually non-existent.
- A drag on investment: The distance between the rules on paper and their real-world application keeps serious economic partners in a climate of uncertainty.
Fallout and what comes next
Decree No. 2022-743 has turned out to be a legal makeover with no knock-on effect. Judged by its results, the introduction of competitive dialogue looks more like a communications exercise than a genuine driver of change in Niger’s public procurement. The coming months will show whether the authorities choose to address the criticism head-on — by training procurement staff, publishing credible data and enforcing the rules — or whether the reform will simply be left to fade, with businesses and taxpayers still waiting for the promised benefits.
