workers ordered to leave Niger before the end of May 
In a letter addressed to the Chairman and CEO of China National Petroleum Corporation Niger Petroleum (CNPCNP) — a local subsidiary of state-owned CNPC, Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Sahabi Oumarou "requests him to terminate the employment contracts of all expatriates with a total duration of more than four years in the oil sector, effective May 8, 2025."
Furthermore, "CNPCNP employees, its subcontractors, and their service providers" who "fall into this category are required to leave Nigerien territory before May 31, 2025”.
Minister Oumarou accuses the Chinese company — which has been mining oil in Niger since 2011 — of "disregard for compliance with the regulations in force" in that country. He cites an August 2024 order intended to promote local companies.
At the end of February, Sahabi Oumarou asked the Chinese management of SORAZ, a refinery located in Zinder, in the east of the country, to develop "a Nigerization plan" for the positions.
Oumarou also requested a review of the salary scale for Nigerian workers. He notably deplored the fact that the average salary of an expatriate was six times higher than that of a Nigerian and that SORAZ's accounting data was in Chinese and "controlled from China."
In March, Niger expelled three Chinese managers of oil companies, subsidiaries of CNPC, who refused to comply with the demands of the Nigerian authorities.
A luxury hotel owned by a Chinese company was also closed by the authorities. The management of this establishment was notably accused of prohibiting "access to other nationalities" and of making erroneous tax declarations.
connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/niger-des-
reuters.com/sustainability
