Resource information
The Kandadji dam, currently under construction in Niger, will displace 38,000 people. The High Commission for the Development of the Niger Valley (HCAVN), in accordance with national law, is committed to compensating people for the traditionally-owned land that they will lose.
It is in this context that the HCAVN, in collaboration with the Global Water Initiative (GWI) in West Africa, carried out this study with a team of experts (lawyer, sociologist, agronomist). The purpose of the study was to analyze the legal texts and the social situation in Kandadji and propose solutions which addressed the requirement for fair compensation as outlined in the 2008 law on compulsory acquisitions. This study recommends the granting of 'emphyteutic' or long-term leases, an example contract for such a lease is also provided.