Database

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NIGER

Since December 2022, last amended in July 2023

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Indicator Ban to transfer and local processing requirement
Law No. 2022-059 of 16 December 2022, relating to the protection of personal data (Loi No. 2022-059 du 16 Décembre 2022, relative à la Protection des données à caractère personnel)
According to Arts. 62 and 63 of Law No. 2022-059, transfer of personal data outside the country is subject to authorisation from the Haute Autorité de Protection des Données Personnelles (HAPDP or High Authority of Personal Data Protection). Apart from the condition of authorisation from the HAPDP, there are other conditions to be fulfilled, including that transfer can only be conducted to a country that guarantees a sufficient level of security or, if that condition is not met, that some conditions are fulfilled such as the authorisation by the owner of the data, the necessity of the transfer for health or juridical procedure, among others.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

N/A

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Indicator Participation in trade agreements committing to open cross-border data flows
Lack of participation in agreements with binding commitments on data flows
Niger has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since December 2022

Pillar Domestic data policies  |  Indicator Framework for data protection
Law No. 2022-059 of 16 December 2022, relating to the protection of personal data (Loi No. 2022-059 du 16 Décembre 2022, relative à la Protection des données à caractère personnel)
Law No. 2022-059 provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Niger. This law repealed Law No. 2017-28, which was previously regulating data protection.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since December 2022

Pillar Domestic data policies  |  Indicator Requirement to allow the government to access personal data collected
Law No. 2022-059 of 16 December 2022, relating to the protection of personal data (Loi No. 2022-059 du 16 Décembre 2022, relative à la Protection des données à caractère personnel)
According to Art. 13 of Law No. 2022-059, IT specialists or other employees of companies who are required to provide information to or testify before the High Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (HAPDP) are exempted from the obligation of professional secrecy. Art. 87 also specifies the supervisory powers of the sworn officers of the HAPDP and provides that they have access to the places, premises, facilities and installations used for the processing of personal data. The practical arrangements are yet to be laid down by decree. The necessity of a judicial warrant is not clearly settled.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since April 2019

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Indicator Safe harbour for intermediaries for copyright infringement
Law No. 2019-03 of 30 April 2019 on electronic transactions in Niger (Loi No. 2019-03 du 30 avril 2019, portant loi sur les transactions électronique au Niger)
Arts. 8-11 of the Law No. 2019-03 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Service providers operating as electronic communications operators cannot be held civilly or criminally liable for any content transmitted over their network or the network to which they provide access. They are not subject to a general obligation to monitor the information they transmit or store, nor to a general obligation to seek facts or circumstances to detect unlawful activities, with the exception of possible offences defined by the law on cybercrime.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since April 2019

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Indicator Safe harbour for intermediaries for any activity other than copyright infringement
Law No. 2019-03 of 30 April 2019 on electronic transactions in Niger (Loi No. 2019-03 du 30 avril 2019, portant loi sur les transactions électronique au Niger)
Arts. 8-11 of the Law No. 2019-03 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements. Service providers operating as electronic communications operators cannot be held civilly or criminally liable for any content transmitted over their network or the network to which they provide access. They are not subject to a general obligation to monitor the information they transmit or store, nor to a general obligation to seek facts or circumstances to detect unlawful activities, with the exception of possible offences defined by the law on cybercrime.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since May 2020

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Indicator User identity requirement
Decree No. 2020-331/PRN/MISP/D/ACR/MPT/MJ of 08 May 2020, relating to the identification of buyers and/or users of mobile telecommunications services offered to the public (Décret No. 2020-331/PRN/MISP/D/ACR/MPT/MJ du 08 mai 2020, portant sur l'identification des acheteurs et/ou utilisateurs des services de téléphonie mobile et d'internet ouverts au public)
Arts. 2 and 3 of Law 2020-331 require proof of user identity before acquiring a SIM card and before any delivery by telecommunications companies.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

NIGER

Since April 2019
Since July 2019

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Indicator Monitoring requirement
Law No. 2019-03 of 30 April 2019 on electronic transactions in Niger (Loi No. 2019-03 du 30 avril 2019, portant loi sur les transactions électronique au Niger)

Law No. 2019-33 of 3 July 2019, relating to the suppression of cybercrime in Niger (Loi No. 2019-33 du 03 juillet 2019, portant répression de la cybercriminalité au Niger)
On the one hand, Arts. 3 and 11 of the Law No. 2019-03 state that there is no general obligation to monitor content without prejudice to any surveillance activity requested by the Nigerien judicial authorities where this is necessary to safeguard public safety, defence, security, the repression of crimes against humanity, incitement to violence and ethnic or religious hatred, as well as pornography, in particular, child pornography, terrorism and money laundering and for the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences. On the other hand, Arts. 2 and 11 of the Law state that there is an exception which applies to the Law on Cybercrime. In fact, service providers must monitor the presence of any illegal act under the Law on Cybercrime committed using a computer system. This article also defines service providers as "any public or private entity which offers users of its services to communicate by means of a computer system or any other entity that processes or stores computer data for this communication or its users".
Coverage Communication service providers

NIGER

N/A

Pillar Telecom infrastructure & competition  |  Indicator Signature of the WTO Telecom Reference Paper
Lack of appendment of WTO Telecom Reference Paper to schedule of commitments
Niger has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

NIGER

Since July 2018

Pillar Telecom infrastructure & competition  |  Indicator Presence of an independent telecom authority
Law No. 2018-47 on the creation, organization and operation of the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP) (Loi No. 2018-47 portant création, organization et fonctionnement de l'Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP))
Art. 1 of Law No. 2018-47 states that the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste (Electronic Communications and Post Regulatory Authority, ARCEP), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process and enjoys financial and management autonomy.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

NIGER

Since September 2022

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Other limitations on foreign participation in public procurement
Decree No. 2022-743/PR/P of 29 September 2022 on the Code of Public Procurement and Delegation of Public Services (Décret No. 2022-743/PR/P 29 Septembre 2022 Portant Code des Marchés Publics et des Délégations de Services Publics)
Art. 15 of Decree No. 2022-743/PR/P states that all candidates for contracts, regardless of the award procedure, must provide evidence of their legal, technical, economic, financial, social and environmental capacity in their tender documents. The social capacity is defined by Art. 19 as the proof of a commitment to recruit Nigerien or nationals from the West African Economic and Monetary Union or proof that 40% of the contract has been subcontracted to SMEs owned by Nigerien youth or women.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since September 2022

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Other limitations on foreign participation in public procurement
Decree No. 2022-743/PR/P of 29 September 2022 on the Code of Public Procurement and Delegation of Public Services (Décret No. 2022-743/PR/P 29 Septembre 2022 Portant Code des Marchés Publics et des Délégations de Services Publics)
According to Art. 112 of Decree No. 2022-743/PR/P when awarding a contract, preference up to 15% of the amount of the tender may be given to:
- A tender submitted by a national or Community enterprise;
- Any supplier that offers products of national origin or from the West African Economic and Monetary Union;
- Any supplier that undertakes to subcontract part of the contract to national undertakings.
If there is no provision for preference in the tender documents, preference will not be applicable.
Beyond this 15% preference, an additional preference of 5% is granted to craftsmen and artisans legally established in the territory of the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
Finally, the contracting authority may include in their preliminary procurement plans a percentage of the contract to be awarded to small and medium-sized national enterprises in accordance with the procurement and award procedures set out in the Decree, provided that the contract is financed from their own resources.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

N/A

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Signatory of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) with coverage of the most relevant services sectors (CPC 752, 754, 84)
Lack of participation in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA)
Niger is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.
Coverage Horizontal

NIGER

Since June 2018

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Maximum foreign equity share
Law No. 2018-40 of 5 June 2018 on the regime of public-private partnership contracts (Loi No. 2018-40 du 5 juin 2018, portant régime des contrats de Partenariat Publique Privé)
Art. 39 of Law No. 2018-40 stipulates that in the case of a foreign investment in the form of a public-private partnership, 20% of the shares must be provided by nationals.
Coverage Public-private partnerships

NIGER

Since February 1999, entry into force in February 2002, last amended in December 2015
Since December 2019, entry into force in March 2020

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Practical or legal restrictions related to the application process for patents
Bangui Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African Intellectual Property Organization, Constituting a Revision of the Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Bangui (Central African Republic), 2 March 1977) (Accord de Bangui relatif à la création d'une organization Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, constituant révision de l'Accord relatif à la création d'un Office Africain et Malgache de la Propriété Industrielle (Bangui (République centrafricaine), le 2 mars 1977)

Regulations on the profession of Authorised Agent before the African Intellectual Property Organization (Règlement sur la profession de Mandataire agréé auprès de l'organization Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle)
According to the Bangui Agreement, ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Niger, applicants resident outside the territory of the Member States must file through an agent selected in one of those Member States (Section III, Art. 8). The professional status of agent accredited to the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is governed by the Regulations on the Profession of Authorised Agent before the OAPI.
Coverage Horizontal

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