Niger: Govt to invest $100m+ into digital agriculture transformation

Niger has launched the “Smart Villages for Rural Growth and Digital Inclusion (PVI) Project” a program that leverages digital technology to develop agriculture and livestock farming and seeks to connect 2,211 villages benefitting nearly 1.5 million producers. The government has developed a  digital and financial education campaign to aid in the modernisation of payment methods. The project will be led by the National Agency for the Information Society over a 6 year period. 80% of Niger’s population of over 22 million live in rural areas and internet access is a major issue. The PVI project is part of the Niger 2.0 plan which is aimed at reducing the digital divide in Niger and includes the training of young persons and increasing the number of local agro-entrepreneurs.