Minister of the Interior (Niger)

The Ministry of Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization of the Government of Niger is the government authority responsible for policing, internal security and the ongoing process of decentralization of authority to the Regions, Departments, and Communes of Niger. The National Police and Paramilitary FNIS report to the Interior minister. Unlike the Interior ministry in some nations, courts, Justice, and prosecution are handled by the Ministry of Justice of Niger. The Civil Defense Directorate, which coordinates disaster, fire, and civil defense responses nationwide reports to the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Interior is headed by the Minister of State for the Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization, a political appointment who sits in the Council of Ministers of Niger, reporting directly to the President of Niger.

Interior and border control, including some policing duties, are carried out through the General Directorate of Territorial Administration (Direction Générale de l’Administration Territoriale), which consists of the eight Regional Governorates (now administrative posts, previously the appointed governors of the eight regions) (see Regions of Niger), the Directorate of General Affairs and Transborder Administrative Cooperation ( Direction des Affaires Générales et de la Coopération Administrative Transfront), and the Directorate of Decentralisation (Direction de la décentralisation et du contentieux territorial).

"Public Safety" was appended to the title in 2004 when the National Police and FNIS were transfer to the Interior Ministry from the Defense Ministry of Niger.

Decentralization was appended to the title by the 1999 constitution. The Minister of Interior in previous governments was the head of local government institutions. Following the move to decentralize government powers in the 1990s, most of the duties of the local appointed Prefect—who was chosen and answered to the Ministry—was taken over by the Communes of Niger, as well as the Departments and Regions. The Ministry of Interior still appoints prefects, but they play a much more limited role, as local representatives of national government. In some largely uninhabited areas, especially those in the Sahara Desert, the Interior Ministry still appoints heads of Postes Administratif (Administrative Posts). Previously drawn from the Military of Niger they now are officers of the FNIS.

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