[1] Keita is located 600 kilometres (370 mi) north-east of the national capital, Niamey.

[5] In 1917, Tuareg insurgents based in Italian-occupied Libya attacked and plundered the city, killing several people including canton chief Afadandan Ichawa.

[6] In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Keita developed a rising number of inhabitants and transformed from a village to a small town.

The "Keita Project" was a 16-year plan that led to digging wells and the drilling of boreholes for irrigation of crops and for drinking water.

From 1984 to 1990, nearly 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of land was "reclaimed" and 100 kilometres (62 mi) of rural roads were built, requiring heavy labor from the inhabitants of the town.

[10] Agriculture is the main occupation in Keita, and a nearby pond (currently dry) facilitated the growth of garden crops and millet.