NIGER has announced the nationalisation of its only industrial gold mine.

On Friday, President General Abdourahamane Tiani accused the Australian operator of the Societie des Mines de Liptako (SML), a gold mine on the banks of the Niger river, of “serious breaches” of contract, including a failure to invest as promised when it took over the mine in 2019.

A government decree added: “This measure is in line with the vision of the president of the republic, which is to promote the full appropriation of its natural resources by the Nigerien people.”

Niger has formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso and Mali, which like it have undergone anti-colonial military takeovers, expelled French and US troops and begun nationalising mines previously operated by transnational companies. Niger nationalised the local branch of French uranium-mining giant Orano in June.

The three countries are major exporters of minerals, including uranium, gold, copper and zinc, but their governments say the profits from these industries have been expropriated by foreign companies while their populations have remained among the poorest worldwide.