Aguie (var. Aguié, Agyé) is a town and capital of the
Aguie Department in southern
Niger, 69 kilometres (43 miles)[1] east of the nation's second largest city,
Maradi.
Administrative structure
Aguié
Commune is the seat of the
Department of the same name, one of five-second level administrative subdivisions of the
Maradi Region. Among the Commune subdivisions within the Department are the "Rural Communes" of Saé Saboua, Arnagou and Giratawa. Nearby villages include Dan Kiri, Dan Gao, Gamji Karama, Dan Rago, Doromawa, Guidan Tonio, and Guidan Kodao.
Population
A primarily
Hausa populated region, it is bordered to the south by
Katsina State, Nigeria. The 2012 population of Aguié Commune was 152,788.[2] The Maradi Region is one of the most densely populated areas of Niger, home to 20 per cent of the country's population, mostly small farmers in rural settlements.[3]
Transport
Aguié lies on the main east-west highway between
Maradi and
Zinder.[4] It is also 50 km (30 mi) north of the city of
Katsina, Nigeria, in an area of much cross-border trade and population movement.[5]
2005–06 Niger food crisis
Aguié Department was particularly hard hit in the
2005-06 Niger food crisis, and the town became a centre for aid efforts. International rural health and development projects have continued to be based there.[6]