Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI) — African leaders, international financial bodies and global energy experts convened at the second Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (NEISA 2026) to turn the continent’s nuclear ambitions into reality.
The Ministerial Compact Roundtables outlined concrete pathways for financing and implementing nuclear infrastructure across African newcomer countries, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said in a statement.
Rwanda’s Minister for Infrastructure Jimmy Gasore stressed that African nations must unite to share the financial and regulatory burdens of nuclear programmes. He highlighted how the African Continental Free Trade Area, with a market of 1.4 billion people and GDP exceeding 3 trillion USD, could unlock economies of scale.
“For us in Africa, cooperation is not an option, but a necessity,” Gasore said, urging harmonised regulatory frameworks and coordinated investment planning to ensure an inclusive energy transition rooted in capacity building.
Robert Lisinge, Director at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said nuclear energy must be formally integrated into the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa to align with continental growth goals. He added that building local talent is as crucial as building reactors.
Lisinge emphasized that the African Academy of Sciences should be central to upcoming discussions, ensuring robust human capacity and local expertise are developed alongside the technology.
Yohannes G. Hailu, ECA Economic Affairs Officer, presented a summary of the “Financing Africa’s Nuclear Future” session. He told leaders they must weigh the cost of inaction alongside the capital required, and outlined innovative financial mechanisms under consideration.
These included nuclear regionalism for shared project development, domestic resource mobilisation leveraging pension funds, and market and utility reforms to ensure bankability for multilateral support.
Gashaw Gebeyehu Wolde of the International Atomic Energy Agency pledged continued backing through its Milestones Approach and workforce frameworks. “Africa has an opportunity to build a cooperative and sustainable model for nuclear development,” he concluded.
(Photo Credit – United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
