Canadians, Australians and Americans relaunch Niger’s uranium industry

Niger’s military junta has signed an agreement with the Australian company Atomic Eagle to restart uranium mining in the Agadez region. Through this deal, the State of Niger established the Madaouela Mining Company, which is owned 60% by Atomic Eagle and 40% by the Nigerien government.

The Nigerien Ministry of Mines expects the project to create approximately 1,000 jobs for local youth. The agreement includes an initial royalty payment of 10 million US dollars, along with investments to strengthen the mining administration and support local development. Madaouela holds an estimated 52,843 tonnes of uranium oxide, based on previous exploration by GoviEx Uranium Inc.

This pact resolves a dispute following the 2024 expropriation of the project from GoviEx, which merged with Tombador Iron in November 2025 to form Atomic Eagle. As part of the settlement, Atomic Eagle will withdraw its arbitration proceedings within seven days of the signing. This development follows recent news that the Canadian company Global Atomic received approval from the US International Development Finance Corporation for up to 414.2 million US dollars in debt financing for its Dasa uranium mine project in the same region.