US approves $414M uranium investment in Niger, two years after troops left

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 17 Sep 202617 Sep 2026.

Key points

• In 2024, the United States agreed to withdraw regarding 1, 000 troops after the military administration.
• The US Development Finance Corp approved the debt facility for Canadian miner Global Atomic's Dasa project.
• One idea has been to invest in a route north through Algeria and throughout the Sahara Desert.
• The project could additionally provide a rare bright spot in US-Canada relations.
• Global Atomic has been exploring alternative routes to export uranium from the landlocked country due to the security risks, a source briefed on discussions remarked.

In practice, the United States administration has signed off on as much as $414m in financing for a uranium project in Niger, according to the project's developer, two years after Washington agreed to withdraw troops from the African country.

In practice, the US Development Finance Corp approved the debt facility for Canadian miner Global Atomic's Dasa project. It the firm describes as the highest-grade uranium deposit in Africa, according to a business statement on Wednesday.

In practice, the investment could bolster US access to a strategic uranium supply at a time when Niger, the world's seventh-largest uranium producer, is locked in a dispute with French state-backed miner Orano. It long dominated the country's uranium sector.

Sources briefed on the effort remarked US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon had called on Washington to rebuild ties with Niger and back the project after the Trump administration took office with a renewed emphasis on deal-making in Africa.

In 2024, the United States agreed to withdraw regarding 1, 000 troops after the military administration. It took control of Niger in a coup in 2023, deemed their presence "illegal" and turned to Russia for security backing. French soldiers were additionally ordered to leave in 2023.

For context, the project was seen as an opportunity to secure access to a strategic energy resource that might otherwise fall into the orbit of rival powers, the sources remarked.

One source familiar with discussions involving Global Atomic and the Development Finance Corp remarked a breakthrough came this summer when chief executive Stephen Roman travelled to Washington to resolve remaining matters holding up approval.

Meanwhile, the project could additionally provide a rare bright spot in US-Canada relations. It have come under strain against the backdrop of a trade war between the neighbours. Niger's administration did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The project faces significant security and political risks.

Last month, a group of soldiers introduced attacks on a key military airbase, the presidential palace and other sensitive sites in the capital, Niamey, in an attempted mutiny, authorities stated. Niger afterwards accused France of orchestrating the offensive. It it denied.

Algeria sent aircraft to Niger last month to support the administration respond to the attempted coup, indicating strengthening ties between the neighbouring countries.

Uranium was continued to the US critical minerals list last year, prompting renewed interest in Niger's reserves.

In short, US approves $414M uranium investment in Niger, two years after troops left is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.