Rwandan President Paul Kagame may well be Africa’s foremost nuclear energy champion. Speaking in Paris at Nuclear Energy Summit 2026, Kagame said Rwanda is determined to do what it takes to power its development with nuclear energy. This, he said, will require strong institutions, sound regulation, and an educated workforce – all of which Rwanda is building.
A recent Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review in Rwanda by the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed progress across key pillars of building a strong, secure nuclear energy program. IAEA team leader Mehmet Ceyhan cited strong government support and effective coordination of preparatory work that “reflected a deep commitment to the program.”
Kagame told the Paris audience that “nuclear technology is evolving in ways that benefit countries with small grids, allowing Africa to be among the early adopters” and that small modular reactors (SMRs) in particular are especially suited to Africa’s requirements.” Today, at least 10 African nations are actively exploring nuclear as the continent envisions generating 15 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from nuclear by the mid-2030s.
Back in October 2019, Rwanda and the Russian Federation jointly established a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST). CNST’s focus is on production of isotopes for cancer diagnosis and treatment, utilizing radiation for crop improvement and material testing and non-destructive evaluation at industrial sites. This work is preparing Rwanda for more complex nuclear projects – like small modular reactors – and for public acceptance of nuclearization.
Rebounding from the COVID pandemic, Rwanda last September hosted the inaugural Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (NEISA 2025), whose theme was “The Potential of Small Modular and Micro Reactors in Accelerating Africa’s Energy Transition.”
In his keynote address, Rwandan Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente revealed that his nation’s ambitious plan to increase electricity generation from 1 GW to 5 GW by 2050 would rely heavily on nuclear energy.
Ngirente said that the future of the African energy landscape will continue to be driven by increasing energy demand and increasing population growth. With a projected population of 3 billion within a few decades, Africa has the potential to be the largest energy market in the globe – thanks to industrialization, artificial intelligence, and urbanization.
Today, however, more than 600 million Africans have no access to electricity, and millions more have only intermittent, often-interrupted access – at a price many cannot afford. Africa is looking to nuclear, he said, because “it is clean [and thus compatible with UN climate goals], reliable, and does not depend on the rain or sun. It provides consistent power, day and night.”
“In this regard,” he concluded, “we recognize the need for smaller and micro nuclear power plants as a pathway for smaller energy systems to afford nuclear energy in our national energy mix.” And, he added, “we welcome partners from around the world to collaborate, localize their solutions, and scale impact – not only in Rwanda, but across the African continent.”
To reemphasize his nation’s – and Africa’s – commitment to a nuclear future, Ngirente left his audience with three messages. First, nuclear energy holds the potential to accelerate African progress, strengthen essential services, and promote inclusive development across all communities during the energy transition.”
Second, Africa must lead this transition together – through regional partnerships, innovation, and global cooperation. Third, the time to act is now. “We must diversify our energy mix – and nuclear is part of that solution.”
Kagame’s words from Paris – that Africa will emerge as one of the most important global markets for SMRs – and his call for stronger international cooperation to support African nuclear energy deployment were the springboard for NEISA 2026, held in May again in Kigali.
As if to signify the urgency Africans have about bringing nuclear energy to the continent, the 2026 NEISA Summit was “Powering Africa’s Future, turning Nuclear Energy Ambition into Investable Reality.” Global leaders, shocked by the demands of new technologies for massive amounts of electricity, are warming up to nuclear.
Buoyed by the World Bank’s decision to lift its longstanding ban on financing nuclear energy projects, the discussions highlighted a broader shift across Africa as governments seek to expand electricity access, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and prepare for rapid population growth.
The heads of state of several African nations, including Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (whose nation boasts major uranium reserves), Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Zeine, and Faure Essozimma Gnassingbe, the President of Togo (who may host NEISA 2027), all supported an SMR-driven nuclear future. Then attendees, mainly representatives of governments and major research institutions, got down to business.
Overall, Africa has a lot of catching up to do. But with SMRs, African nations can be at the forefront, largely because in many places these powerplants would be providing the first reliable electricity to entire regions.
Just last year, Hassan signed a deal with Russia’s Rosatom to build a $400 million uranium processing plant as part of a $1.2 billion, 20-year plan to extract and process 300,000 metric tons of Tanzania’s massive reserves of uranium. Rosatom already supplies the uranium for Africa’s only active nuclear power plant, Eskom’s Koeberg Unit 2 in South Africa.
Eskom just obtained a 20-year license extension for its Koeberg plant. It also announced plans to resurrect its long-dormant nuclear energy industry by reversing a decision made in 2010 to stop investing in its pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR) project, begun in 1993 and based on German technology.
The PBMR is intended as a small-scale, high-temperature reactor that uses TRISO fuel, with helium as the coolant, making it capable of supplying process heat as well as generating electricity. Eskom in 2020 said it wanted to take the PBMR project out of “care and maintenance” and commercialize the business – and it took five more years to win approval.
Other African nations are following suit. Egypt, thanks to Russian help, expects its first nuclear powerplant to go online in 2028 – with four reactors and a total capacity of 4.8 GW. Ghana plans to commission its first nuclear plant by the early 2030s, while Uganda has announced intentions to build a nuclear facility with support from international partners.
Rwanda’s nuclear future includes having nuclear energy operational by the early 2030s by building a powerplant expected to cost $5 to $6 billion. Togo, Niger, Tanzania, and other African nations are not far behind.
Why are African leaders so enamored with SMRs (and microreactors)? Kagame says SMRs can are standalone units that can service an industry, a hospital, a small city – even where there is no functioning national grid.
Nuclear, said Kagame, can be a transformative force for expanding access by Africans to stable electricity, improved healthcare systems, and powering its technological advances. But to achieve these goals, “It is essential to have private investment, institutional collaboration, and long-term sustainable approaches that ensure efficiency and accountability.”
For the first time in modern history, African nations are calling their own shots. Rwanda, along with many of its neighbors, appears more than ready to quintuple its electricity output and power 21st century research, healthcare, education, and industry. All they need is a hand-up.
This article originally appeared at Real Clear Energy
