Hausa is really not required in Niger, especially if you are living in Niamey. It is useful, though, if you are planning to live and work in the interior of the country between Dogon Doutchi on the west to Zinder on the east to Agadez on the north and along Niger's southern border with Nigeria.
40% of the language is considered derived from Arabic/Semitic languages. Additionally, there are quite a few loan words from either French or English, depending on where in Hausaland you are staying. Otherwise, the majority of the words are Chadic in origin. It is a tonal language with rising, descending, constant, short and long tones to correctly pronounce various words. Pure Hausa has neither "p" nor "v" sounds and has the additional consonants ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, and ƴ, which are neither in French nor English. Otherwise, the language generally uses both vowels and consonants consistent with an English pronunciation.
In the large cities there are generally professional educators and/or linguists who can provide Hausa lessons. It's best, though, to go to Amazon.com or another bookseller to order your Hausa language books, as they are almost impossible to easily find in Niger. Buy Nicholas Awde's dictionary--it is the best. Otherwise there are Hausa apps now available for your smartphone that will help you get started learning the language.
