The Nigerien Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Hassoumi Massoudou, and the Order of Malta’s Ambassador to the Republic of Niger, Olivier de Preville, signed a cooperation agreement between Niger and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The agreement, signed last Monday in Niamey, aims to promote the Order of Malta’s hospital, healthcare and assistance activities in the African country, defining the guarantees and immunities for diplomats and staff, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked “the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for the assistance provided to Niger, in particular for the transport and distribution of medicines to Niamey hospital, clinics, community health centres, Catholic religious congregations and the National Office for Veterans”. Niger, like other Sahel countries, is facing an unprecedented security crisis and humanitarian challenge and therefore “there is a great need to access basic services and healthcare and it remains a priority of the Government,” said Minister Hassoumi Massoudou.

For his part, the Order of Malta’s Ambassador expressed his great satisfaction for this agreement and added: “We have some very valid projects to develop together, and especially that concerning sickle cell anaemia, one of the great plagues of Africa. It is a potentially fatal and disabling disease, especially in children. We are therefore planning the construction of a new centre, that I am sure,” concluded de Preville, “will reduce the sufferings caused by this terrible illness”.

In Niger, over two-thirds of the territory is desert. Only the areas around the Niger River and to a lesser extent along the border with Nigeria offer acceptable, if not ideal, environmental conditions. This, together with the scarcity of all kinds of resources, makes Niger one of the poorest countries in the world.