@article{2025:kengni:an_assessm,
title = {An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Niger’s Labour Laws in Mitigating Health and Safety Risks Associated with Mining Work},
year = {2025},
note = {This paper examines the regulatory framework governing health and
safety in Niger's mining industry, a sector central to the country’s
economic development and subject to substantial investment despite
ongoing political instability. It reviews the constitutional, mining,
and labour codes that collectively aim to protect mine workers from
occupational hazards, including exposure to radioactive materials and
toxic chemicals, particularly in uranium mines. Despite the existence
of these legal provisions, the paper finds that their practical
effectiveness is undermined by inadequate enforcement, limited
funding, insufficient legal coverage of emerging risks, corruption,
lack of political will, exclusion of workers from policy-making, and
scarcity of occupational health resources. Empirical evidence reveals
persistent health and safety violations, especially in artisanal and
small-scale mining, with frequent accidents and occupational diseases.
The study concludes that, while Niger’s legal framework has the
potential to safeguard miners, systemic flaws in implementation and
governance have resulted in ongoing health and safety risks,
highlighting the urgent need for reforms to ensure legal compliance,
worker participation, and resource allocation for occupational health
and safety in the mining sector.},
journal = {KAS African Law Study Library},
pages = {455--469},
author = {Kengni, Bernard},
volume = {12},
number = {4}
}