Niamey ready for African Union summit [The Morning Call]

The 55th African Union extraordinary summit begins this Thursday in Niamey, Niger and is scheduled to end next week on Monday.

Authorities in the country seem optimistic about the preparations made ahead of this meeting despite the questions arising as to how ready the country really is to host such an event.

The AU summit has been seen as a real opportunity to provide the capital with modern infrastructure, and to this effect, the Nigerien government with the support of other private investors invested about 200 billion CFA francs (about 344 million dollars) to elevate the city to the ranks of major modern cities.

For example, the Diori Hamani International Airport has been renovated and modernized by a Turkish company for 101 billion CFA francs (about 174 million dollars).