Western Africa
Video Chat with People from Niger
Niger runs from the green banks of the Niger River around Niamey to the Aïr Mountains and the sands of the Ténéré, and the person you meet could be in any of those worlds. Niamey is the capital and biggest city, Zinder and Maradi are busy trading towns in the south, and Agadez, gateway to the desert, is known for its tall mud-brick architecture and Tuareg silverwork. Hausa is the most widely spoken language and links people with northern Nigeria, Zarma is common around Niamey and the west, and Tamasheq, Fulfulde and Kanuri are spoken too. Government business and much of the media run in French, while English is far less common.
Niger is on West Africa Time, UTC+1, the same clock as Lagos, so 8 PM in Niamey is early afternoon in New York and early evening in London. Traditional wrestling is the big national sport, and the yearly championship is followed closely. Guitarists from the Agadez region, such as Bombino and Mdou Moctar, have fans worldwide. Food talk might bring up tuwo with sauce, spicy kilishi dried meat, fura da nono and sweet mint tea in small glasses.
Niger at a glance
| Flag | 🇳🇪 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Niger |
| Capital | Niamey |
| Region | Africa · Western Africa |
| Official language | French |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (Fr, XOF) |
| Calling code | +227 |
| Time zone | West Africa Time (Africa/Niamey) |
How to say hello
A few words of French make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hausa | Sannu! | SAHN-noo | Hello! |
| Hausa | Ina kwana? | ee-nah KWAH-nah | Good morning (literally "how did you sleep?") |
| Hausa | Ina yini? | ee-nah YEE-nee | Good afternoon (literally "how's the day?") |
| Zarma | Fofo! | FOH-foh | Hello! / Welcome! |
Tips for chatting with people from Niger
- Reply to "Ina kwana?" or "Ina yini?" with "Lafiya" (lah-FEE-yah), meaning "fine, in good health."
- Hausa phrases you learn work on both sides of the Niger-Nigeria border, which makes them extra useful.
- Ask whether they follow the national wrestling championship and which region's champion they support.
- If you like wildlife, ask about the giraffes that roam near Kouré, not far from Niamey; many people have seen them up close.
Only meet people from Niger
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Niger, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Niger and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Niger, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Niger are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Niger borders 7 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: