Keita is a town and commune in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesKeita Department Keita is a department of the Tahoua Region in Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

, within the

Tahoua Region Tahoua is one of eight Regions of Niger. The capital of the region is the commune of Tahoua. The region covers 106,677 km². Geography Tahoua borders Agadez Region to the northeast, Maradi Region to the southeast, Nigeria's Sokoto State to t ...

, and has a population of 10,631 as of 2012.

Geography

Keita is located north-east of the national capital,

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...

. The town is in the semi-arid

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

, and is threatened by famine. Keita is divided into the districts of Idewaran, Lissawan and Moulela.

History

Keita became the ''chef-lieu'' of the eponymous canton in 1913. In 1917,

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

insurgents based in Italian-occupied Libya attacked and plundered the city, killing several people including canton chief Afadandan Ichawa. The attack led to a successful counter-offensive of the French.Giraut 1994, p. 166 In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Keita developed a rising number of inhabitants and transformed from a village to a small town.Giraut 1994, p. 167 Keita became the prefecture seat in 1964.Frédéric Giraut: ''La petite ville. Un milieu adapté aux paradoxes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Etudes sur le semis et comparaison du système social et-spatial de sept localités: Badou et Anié (Togo), Jasikan et Kadjebi (Ghana), Torodi, Tamaské et Keïta (Niger)''. Dissertation, Universität Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne 1994
Online-Version
PDF; 2,3 MB), p. 129 By the early 1980s, clear signs of

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...

had begun. As a result, a development plan was signed in December 1983 that stressed sustainable long-term development of resources. The "Keita Project" was a 16-year plan that led to digging wells and the drilling of boreholes for irrigation of crops and for drinking water. Trees were planted to prevent soil erosion and promote agriculture. From 1984 to 1990, nearly of land was "reclaimed" and of rural roads were built, requiring heavy labor from the inhabitants of the town.

Demographics

In the 1977 census, the population of Keita was measured to be 3,572. By 1988, its population had increased to 6,644. In the 2001 census, the population of Keita was 8,633. It increased to 10,631 as of 2012. The town is a center of

people, who have migrated from surrounding areas. According to a study in 1988, 10.9 percent of the population is permanent migrants, with 8.5 percent being seasonal migrants.

Economy and infrastructure

Agriculture is the main occupation in Keita, and a nearby pond (currently dry) facilitated the growth of garden crops and

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

. Although

Tamaske Tamaske is a city and rural commune in Niger. It is located in the Keita Department, in the Tahoua Region. Geography Tamaske lies in the Sahel biome in Niger. The neighboring municipalities are Kalfou in the northwest, Keita in the northeast, ...

is a bigger center of commerce in the region, Keita has some artisanal production. Ironworking is practiced, as was mining until the end of the colonial period. There is a bus station in the town. Keita has a limited amount of electricity. A community radio station with a transmitter of 150 W was established in Keita in 1998. Keita is the site of a civil court. One of the biggest infrastructural problems in the city is the extremely poor medical care. In addition, 46% of the population has no access to clean drinking water.''Présentation de la commune de Keita''
ANIYA Coopération Décentralisée Niger-France, accessed 20 October 2016

Notable people

Former foreign minister of Niger Aïchatou Boulama Kané was born in Keita in 1955.

Twin towns

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

, Italy is twinned with Keita, in the initiative of the Italian development firm that operates in Keita.Giraut 1994, p. 269

References

{{Communes of Niger Communes of Niger Tahoua Region