In early March, while attending the Nuclear Energy Summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame reaffirmed his ambition to develop civilian nuclear reactors in Rwanda. “Nuclear energy is not too complex or risky for developing countries,” he said during the meeting. “It will diversify our energy mix while providing the stability required for industrial growth and long-term transformation.”
Currently, Rwanda’s energy supply is largely dominated by hydropower and thermal energy. In 2020, just half of the population had access to electricity; by 2030 the country aims to reach 100% electricity access. The East African country is banking on nuclear power to supply 60-70% of its electricity mix.
The recent summit took place just one day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded a trip to Kigali to assess Rwanda’s readiness for nuclear energy. The IAEA inspected 19 points considered essential for launching a civilian nuclear program, including the legal framework, radioactive waste management and safety.
After a weeklong evaluation, the IAEA concluded that Rwanda is making strong progress toward establishing its nuclear program. “Strong government support and the effective coordination of the preparatory work helped Rwanda make significant progress towards deciding on a nuclear power programme,” Mehmet Ceyhan, technical lead of the IAEA nuclear infrastructure development section and team leader for the mission, said in a press release. “The level of preparation and involvement from all participating organizations and teams during the mission reflected a deep commitment to the programme.”
According to the IAEA, Rwanda is currently identifying candidate sites for its planned small modular reactor (SMR) project. Mongabay contacted the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board, the national agency overseeing the country’s civilian nuclear program, as well as the IAEA for additional information but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Rwanda expects its first SMR reactor to be operational by the early 2030s. It is expected to be built faster and at lower cost than conventional nuclear power plants.
In 2023, Rwanda signed an agreement with Dual Fluid Energy Inc., a Canadian-German nuclear technology company, to pilot advanced nuclear reactor technology in the country. The government has also partnered with institutions from Russia and the United States to explore the development of SMRs. In 2025, Rwanda was also in discussions with Niger, One of the world’s largest uranium producers, to establish a potential partnership.
Nuclear energy is gaining renewed interest across Africa. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya are also moving toward nuclear power plants. The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in 2023 marked a milestone for the nuclear industry when it was formally recognized as one of the solutions for producing low-carbon energy. Since then, it has increasingly been promoted as a tool to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
Banner image: People lined up to vote at night. Image by Kigali Wire via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).
