RAEB Chairman leads Rosatom discussion on Africa’s nuclear future at the Russia–Africa Summit

By The Inspirer.

• The session moderated by Lassina Zerbo focused on workforce training, floating nuclear power units and the technological sovereignty of African countries as Rwanda moves towards introducing nuclear power in the early 2030s

On 28 October, Chairman of the Board of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board and Advisor to the President of Rwanda Lassina Zerbo moderated a session titled “Nuclear Technologies in Africa: Gaining Momentum for the Future”, held in Moscow as part of the business programme of the Third Russia–Africa Summit.

The event was held with the support of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, the title partner of the forum.

Participants in the discussion included Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev; Minister of Mines and Energy Resources of the Togolese Republic Robert Koffi Messan Eklo; Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia Tobie Aupindi; and Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of the Arab Republic of Egypt Mahmoud Esmat.

Participants discussed the first steps in developing a nuclear industry, the use of national expertise and resources, and the challenges of implementing nuclear projects.

Speakers highlighted the role of nuclear technologies in ensuring a reliable energy supply and in advancing nuclear medicine, agriculture and science.

Alexey Likhachev noted that Rosatom operates in 29 of the continent’s 54 countries and that African partners are showing interest in nuclear power.

Particular attention was paid to floating nuclear power units: following the signing of the world’s first export agreement for the supply of electricity from such units in Indonesia, Rosatom has seen significant interest in this technology from African countries.

“Every successful programme develops step by step, and the IAEA approach serves as our guide. Before we build reactors, we train engineers, regulators and technicians, and we earn the trust of our citizens. No African country should walk this path alone: regional power grids, shared training centres and cooperation between regulators will make project implementation faster and safer. Nuclear power in Africa has moved from discussion to construction, and that is exactly what we are talking about with Rosatom today. Let us now ensure that it moves from construction to transformation: electricity for our homes, medicine for our hospitals, jobs for our youth and sovereignty for the continent,” highlighted Chairman of the Board of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board and Advisor to the President of Rwanda Lassina Zerbo.

“For African countries, nuclear technologies can become an effective tool for building national technological sovereignty: the ability to independently set development priorities, train their own specialists and master advanced industries. This is comprehensive work that requires systematic cooperation, from workforce training and infrastructure development to large-scale projects worth billions of dollars. For us, working in Africa is, above all, a responsibility to people,” stressed Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev.

Rwanda and Russia have cooperated in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy since 2018, when an intergovernmental agreement was signed in Moscow.

In 2019, on the sidelines of the first Russia–Africa Summit in Sochi, the parties signed an agreement on the construction of a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Rwanda, which is to include a research reactor and a set of laboratories.

In June 2026, the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board and Rosatom held the first meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee on cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy and signed a roadmap on small modular reactors.

Rwanda aims to include nuclear power in its energy mix by the early 2030s to meet growing electricity demand.