Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente has called on Africans to change their mindset regarding preconceived notions about nuclear energy to take advantage of the existing nuclear energy sources and potential to spur economic development for millions of Africans who have no access to electricity.
Ngirente made the call during the first-ever Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (NEISA), which opened on Monday, 30, in Kigali, attracting at least 1000 experts from over 40 African countries in Africa and beyond.
“Too often, when people hear the word ‘nuclear,’ they think of harmful or dangerous uses. But contrary to this perception, that is not our focus. This gathering is about nuclear energy for peace, innovation, and development.” Ngirente said.
While Africa has significant solar, wind, hydropower resources, and uranium (especially in Niger for nuclear energy), which can potentially meet the energy needs of its entire population, these resources have not been fully utilized. Particularly, uranium has been sold to countries like France for over 40 years.
Ngirente called for urgent collaborative efforts among African leaders to adopt innovative and clean energy solutions that will power Africa’s development agenda and provide electricity to the 600 million Africans who do not have access to electricity.
These individuals rely on biomass and other non-clean energy sources to meet their basic energy needs, increasing pressure on available forest resources and further negatively impacting climate change.
“With over 600 million Africans lacking access to electricity, the critical role of nuclear energy as a sustainable, low-carbon option capable of supporting Africa’s long-term energy security and climate resilience,” Ngirente said.
Ngirente explained that nuclear energy is categorized as a clean source of energy, and both the Paris Agreement and COP29 have acknowledged its role in helping achieve global net-zero carbon emissions.
Thus, the conference should agree that investing in clean, reliable energy sources like nuclear is not just smart policy—it’s a necessary step toward sustainable development.
He stated that besides providing electricity, the use of nuclear energy will not only address the energy deficit but also potentially provide innovative solutions to advance other sectors such as agriculture and healthcare, among others.
“Our continent is rich in energy resources. However, these are not equally spread and remain dependent on weather conditions. And that’s why nuclear energy deserves our attention. It is clean, reliable, and does not depend on the rain or sun. It provides consistent power, day and night,” Ngirente said.
By focusing on safe, modular, and scalable nuclear technologies, the nuclear summit will highlight how SMRs and MMRs can help close energy gaps, support off-grid industrialization, and contribute to international climate goals.
While it is clear that African countries are not interested in using nuclear for weapons manufacturing, the two-day nuclear summit will spotlight the alternative transformative role of nuclear innovation, particularly Small Modular and Micro Reactors (SMRs and MMRs), and the enabling conditions needed for their adoption.
This comes at a time of increasing interest in clean and reliable energy sources across the continent, which experts say have been underutilized for many years and instead exported to benefit other countries to manufacture weapons.
Currently, South Africa is the only African country with an operational nuclear power plant. Egypt and Rwanda are among the countries developing new nuclear energy projects.
New interests have been seen in countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana, which have started the conversation to cultivate investment partnerships and develop infrastructure, financing, and capacity building to utilize the nuclear energy potential to meet their energy demands, especially since many of them export electricity within their regional blocs.
Rwanda’s SMRs and MMRs nuclear Plans are planned to be operational by 2030 with over 200 specialists trained with the support of existing partner countries like Russia, and the currently enticed countries China and South Korea.
In this context, Ngirente said that Rwanda remains committed to fostering an open and supportive business environment and welcomes partners from around the world to collaborate, localize their solutions, and scale impact—not only in Rwanda but across the African continent.
Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Lamine Zeine, stated that Rwanda’s commitment to safety and security will act as a guide for other countries and the continent to fully utilize the existing nuclear energy resources.
Zeine said that the conference was going to be a kicker to drive Africa’s commitment to use its vast energy sources (including nuclear) to drive sustainable development that is manned by Africans themselves.
Dr. Doto Mashaka Biteko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Tanzania, also recognized Rwanda’s leadership in the nuclear sector development and indicated that his country has followed suit to do likewise through its new policies and commitment to opening investment in nuclear energy and prioritizing the integration of nuclear-generated energy into the national electricity grid.
NEISA2025 Photos by Eric RUZINDANA
