Ali Badjo Gamatié (born 1957) is a

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 ...

ien politician and civil servant who served as

Prime Minister of Niger This is a list of prime ministers of Niger since the formation of the post of Prime Minister of Niger in 1983 to the present day. A total of fifteen people have served as Prime minister, Prime Minister of Niger (not counting one Acting Prime M ...

from October 2009 to February 2010. He was

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 2000 to 2002 and then served as Vice-Governor of the

Central Bank of West African States The Central Bank of West African States (, BCEAO) is a central bank serving the eight west African countries which share the common West African CFA franc currency and comprise the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The BCEAO is active ...

(BCEAO) before being appointed as prime minister by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Mamadou Tandja Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was List of heads of state of Niger, President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 ...

. Gamatié was prime minister for only a few months, however, as Tandja was overthrown in a February 2010 military coup.

Political background

In the first government of Prime Minister

Hama Amadou Hama Amadou (3 March 1950 – 23 October 2024) was a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD- ...

, which was named on 5 January 2000, Gamatié was included as

. As Finance Minister, Gamatié was an international advocate for the total cancellation of foreign debts of Niger and other Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). He was involved in

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...

negotiations on the debt status of these nations. As Finance Minister, he also raised questions about the accountability and representativeness of

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s and civil society groups operating in Niger and elsewhere. During his term as Minister, Gamatié oversaw a period of major government cutbacks during a 2002 finance crisis. In July 2003, journalist Mamane Abou of ''Le Républicain'' newspaper in

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

was arrested for defamation after he wrote an article accusing Gamatié and Hama Amadou of using unauthorized Treasury funds to pay for government contracts. The Finance Minister was also criticized by the opposition for sponsoring 2001 legislation which would dramatically raise taxes on private newspaper publishers, which they feared would bankrupt the opposition press. In October 2003, Gamatié was replaced as Finance Minister by

Ali Lamine Zeine Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine (born 1965) is a Nigerien politician and economist who has served as the prime minister of Niger since 2023. He previously served as minister of the Economy and Finance from 2003 to 2010. Biography Ali Lamine Zeine ...

. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Gamatié was close to Prime Minister Amadou, then seen as a potential rival of President Tandja. Foreign analysis concluded that because of his relationship with the Prime Minister, Gamatié's removal "...may have involved political considerations". In October 2003, Gamatié was appointed Vice-Governor of the

(BCEAO). In 2006 he was on a short list of four candidates to replace

Charles Konan Banny Charles Konan Banny (11 November 1942 – 10 September 2021)Biography at BCEAO website

as Governor of the central bank. The Nigerien press reported that opposition leader

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the president of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 to ...

had in 2007 proposed that Gamatié—rather than the eventual Prime Minister

Seyni Oumarou Seyni Oumarou (born 9 August 1950

—lead a government of national unity when President Tandja sought opposition involvement in the new government following Hama Amadou's removal. During the corruption court cases against Hama Amadou in 2008, Gamatié testified that the 100 million CFA francs Amadou was charged with taking from the treasury were diverted without the Finance Minister's knowledge. In 2008, Gamatié served as Special Adviser to the President for Mineral Affairs and as chief government negotiator with French uranium mining company Areva, leading to a deal which saw a 1 billion euros investment in Niger's Imouraren mining site. In August 2009 the Nigerien press reported that Gamatié was a supporter of President Tandja's drive to extend his mandate and create a new constitution. Tandja's constitutional referendum, which established a

presidential system A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

and reduced the importance of the office of prime minister by making the president the

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

, was successful; Gamatié was subsequently appointed as prime minister on 2 October 2009. Tandja was ousted in a military coup on 18 February 2010 and his government was dissolved. Gamatié was one of only three ministers who were not promptly released from

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

in the days after the coup. According to one of the junta leaders, Colonel Djibrilla Hamidou Hima, the ministers "still under surveillance" had held "very sensitive portfolios" and therefore it was necessary "to ensure their security". The MNSD called for the release of Gamatié, Tandja, and the others. Suffering from

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

, Gamatié was released from house arrest on 4 March and was promptly hospitalized at the National Hospital of Niamey. After three days there, he was taken to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

for medical treatment early on 8 March."Ousted Nigerien PM flown to France for medical treatment"
African Press Agency, 8 March 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamatie, Ali Badjo 1957 births Living people Ministers of council of Niger Prime ministers of Niger Finance ministers of Niger National Movement for the Development of Society politicians 21st-century Nigerien politicians People from Niamey