Is Niger’s competitive dialogue reform a real fix or just bureaucratic theatre?

When Niger’s government unveiled Decree No. 2022-743/PRN/PM on 29 September 2022, it promised a turning point in how public contracts are awarded. The decree introduced a competitive dialogue procedure designed to let public buyers sit down with shortlisted bidders and jointly shape the technical, legal and financial details of major projects. The stated goals were ambitious: spend public money more wisely, open up decision-making, and pull in the technical know-how the state needs for large-scale development.

Three years on, the question that matters is simple: did any of that actually happen? The answer, based on how the reform has played out on the ground, is no. What was sold as a modernisation drive has turned out to be a drawn-out public relations exercise, an illusion of progress that has left the economy of Niger no better off.

A sophisticated procedure that never left the page

On paper, competitive dialogue looked like a smart idea. It would allow public bodies to negotiate with several pre-selected candidates and co-design the most suitable solutions. In the daily reality of Niger’s public administration, however, the provision has remained wishful thinking.

• No technical ownership: With insufficient training and no clear methodological guides for procurement officers, the mechanism is widely seen as too complex and unwieldy to handle.
• A retreat into old habits: Contracting authorities keep falling back on traditional methods or, worse, on derogatory procedures that bypass the promised added value of the 2022 text.
• No flagship project delivered: In three years, the big infrastructure contracts that were supposed to benefit from this competitive flexibility have produced no visible results or measurable efficiency gains for the public purse.

From the rhetoric of rebuilding to the reality of direct deals

While talk of “refoundation” and rigorous management is everywhere, the continued use of direct awards and negotiated contracts contradicts the intentions set out in the 2022 decree.

Instead of fostering fair competition and transparency, the updated legal framework often serves as an administrative shop window to reassure observers, while conditions on the ground remain marked by opacity and a lack of accountability. Local firms, which were supposed to be the main beneficiaries of a more open dialogue with the state, still complain about limited access to major opportunities and slow procedures.

The record of a legal framework that does not work

After three years of theoretical application, the balance sheet of the 29 September 2022 decree highlights the gap between legislative output and operational reality:

• No impact on cost reduction: The financial savings expected from stronger competition have not shown up in public accounts.
• Transparency in name only: Audits and evaluation reports on the actual use of competitive dialogue are virtually non-existent.
• A drag on investment: The gap between the texts on the books and their real application feeds uncertainty for serious economic partners.

Decree No. 2022-743 has been little more than a legal veneer with no knock-on effect. Tested by time, the introduction of competitive dialogue looks less like a genuine lever for transforming public procurement in Niger and more like a communications manoeuvre.

By Marguerite Ndongo — Political and Security Analyst