Consumer protection in Niger

Niger’s consumer protection framework is established but fragmented across general commercial enforcement and sector-specific regulators. Key rules include Loi n°2015-24, Décret n°2018-766/PRN/MC/PSP and Loi n°2019-51. Local terms include consommateur for consumer, fournisseur for supplier, service après-vente for after-sales service and garantie for warranty. A supplier should provide reliable information, display prices and make applicable tariffs or conditions available. A consumer can request a facture or receipt showing the transaction. Goods and services must meet applicable requirements for safety, quality, quantity and labeling. Unjustified refusal to sell, discrimination, tied or bundled sales, forced shipments, pyramid-style selling, imposed or unlawful prices, misleading advertising, counterfeiting and falsification are prohibited. Spoiled, expired, toxic or unauthorized products, including unsafe medicines, may lead to enforcement measures such as seizure, withdrawal or destruction. For an ordinary purchase or contract problem, keep the receipt, contract, messages, photographs and other proof. Complain to the supplier in writing and state the remedy requested. If the supplier does not resolve the matter, the consumer or a consumer association can report suspected fraud, abusive practices or non-conformity to the Ministère du Commerce et de l’Industrie, its local services or the free national 808 hotline. The hotline is open nationally, announced as confidential and available to everyone. Commerce officials may request documents for inspection on site or within a maximum of five working days. Depending on the violation, fines can range from FCFA 25,000 to FCFA 100,000,000. Sector procedures differ. Telecom and postal complaints can be directed to ARCEP. For electricity, start with the NIGELEC commercial point, submit a written complaint and use amicable settlement before contacting ARSE. The electricity rules provide access to the meter and a 15-day notice before disconnection for unpaid bills; the stated maximum connection period is one month, depending on the applicable conditions. Water and transport regulators have been identified as ARSEau and ARST, but a directly documented consumer complaint procedure was not established in the available research. For payment services, complain first to the provider. The provider should respond within seven working days. If the response is absent or inadequate, escalation may involve the Commission Bancaire de l’UMOA, mediation or the Observatoire national de la qualité des services financiers. LANSPEX supports quality control for health products and ONPPC supports pharmaceutical supply. ARST is identified for transport regulation, but a complete consumer-specific process for travel services has not been established. ARCEP provides a formal sector channel for telecommunications, while a specific nationwide e-commerce return, refund or alternative-dispute process has not been established. A commercial dispute may be brought before a tribunal of commerce, where conciliation is mandatory. Court, regulator and association costs or processing times are not published consistently in the available sources. ADDC-Wadata can provide assistance in French, but it is an association and its assistance does not have the force of a court decision. Niger has no evidenced nationwide consumer ombudsman and no established basis for assuming an automatic EU-style cooling-off or refund right. Business records, written complaints and proof of delivery make later enforcement more practical.