Ghana and Rwanda are emerging as Africa’s frontrunners in the race to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), a newer, scalable alternative to traditional nuclear power plants. According to World Nuclear Association chief Sama Bilbao y León, both countries have shown strong leadership—Ghana is advancing its regulatory systems and workforce training, and Rwanda recently hosted a high-profile nuclear summit. While Namibia and Kenya are also making progress in this field, Ghana remains slightly ahead. African nations aim to move beyond raw uranium exports by building local processing capacity, ensuring greater economic benefit. Though SMRs promise cheaper, cleaner power, the technology is still in early stages. Experts say Africa’s future energy mix will likely blend nuclear with solar, batteries, and other renewables to meet soaring demand.
SEMAFOR
