Akokan is a mining town in the Arlit Department of the

Agadez Region Agadez Region is one of the seven regions of Niger. At , it covers more than half of Niger's land area, and is the largest region in the country, as well as the list of the largest country subdivisions by area, largest African state subdivision. ...

of northern-central

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. It is located about southwest of

Arlit Arlit is an industrial town and capital of the Arlit Department of the Agadez Region of northern-central Niger, built between the Sahara Desert and the eastern edge of the Aïr Mountains. It is 200 kilometers south by road from the bord ...

in the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

, and roughly north of

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of the eponymous Agadez Region, the city lies in the Sahara ...

. It is considered to be Niger's "second uranium town". SOMAIR and

COMINAK COMINAK (Compagnie minière d'Akokan) is a national uranium mining company of Niger. It is a joint venture between the French company Areva NC and the state of Niger, which operates in the field of mining. COMINAK was established in 1974, follow ...

(Compagnie minière d'Akokan), run by

Areva Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...

and the Nigerien state, operate uranium mines in the vicinity of the towns of Akokan and Arlit. In the maps of the area, Akokan is classified under "Mine - Agadez-Niger". The

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...

and Toubou people are local to the area.

History

The Akokan deposit was initially prospected by a France-Japan-Niger tripartite affiliation in the early 1970s. In 1975, underground mining at Akokan was estimated to require over $100 million in investment. Today over 100,000 people live in Akokan and Arlit.

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

has expressed concerns over the high radiation levels found on the streets of Akokan. Afasto, south of Akokan, was the site of newly discovered uranium reserves in 2001. The operational base of COMINAK mining company was established at Akokan, Niger, near

and a new mining town ship was built to house its offices and employees. The number of employees reported to be working for COMINAK is 1,150. Health and essential social services are part of the commitment by COMINAK to help and to improve living conditions for its employees and the local community. Akokan is Niger's "second uranium town" operated by SOMAIR and

(Compagnie minière d'Akokan).

Infrastructure

The infrastructure facilities created in the town covers two field hospitals, network of well laid out roads (more than ) from

Tahoua Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative centre of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region. ...

, electric power supply from the 16 MW captive coal based power station near Tchirozorine and transmitting power over a transmission line of ( to the north of

), an airport and hotels for visitors. Akokan includes a mix of upscale living quarters and a shantytown, as well as hotels, a cultural hall and sports centers.

Environmental concerns

In both the towns of Akokan and Arlit, and also close to the mines, the tailings from the processed ores are reported to possess

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...

elements which have been harmful to the health of the people; its consequences are reported to have led to premature deaths of people including the employees. The matter has been a subject of serious debate and discussions between the

Environmental Activists The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

and the

AREVA Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...

(the owner of the mining operations). Open cut and underground mines of Comac and Sumair, under operation for several decades of operations since the 1970s, of both the amount of

tailings In mining, tailings or tails are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction (gangue) of an ore. Tailings are different from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material ...

heaped up (totally unprotected to prevent health hazards) in the two towns has generated about 30million tons tailing and these are reported to be radioactive. Since 2007, following the protests, several remedial actions have been initiated by Medecins du Monde and Areva; a French lawyers' association is monitoring these management actions related to health and labour safety measures. The AREVA has averred with assurances that the “after effects of the mines” shall be addressed through “Sustainable Development Philosophy;".

Fossiliferous site

An armored, terrestrial, herbivorous reptile, ''Bunostegos akokanensis'' (“the lump-headed reptile of Akokan") was discovered near Akokan and named in honor of the locale.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Niger