One of the poorest nations in the world, Niger is also one of the planet's biggest sources of Uranium. It's a major supplier to the EU and especially important to France, its former colonial power. Matthieu Davrinche is the director of a joint enterprise between French nuclear giant Orano and the Niger government, exploring the potential of a site in Imouraren, estimated to hold 200,000 tonnes of the mineral. The project was put on hold in 2015 after the price of uranium collapsed following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. Instead of open-pit mining at the site, the team is now studying the in-situ recovery (ISR) method - extracting the Uranium by pumping - with the hope of launching a pilot project at the northern mine next year. See also VIDI33BB7CK_EN IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES