Partnership to support nuclear deployment in Africa
12 October 2023
World Nuclear Association and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the economic growth and sustainable energy development of the African continent through the use of nuclear energy.
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The signing of the MoU by Enobot Agboraw (left) and Sama Bilbao y León (Image: World Nuclear Association)
"This cooperation confirms the shared commitment of both organisations to proactively facilitate the wider understanding of civilian nuclear energy and support the development of nuclear energy in African States," World Nuclear Association said. It added that the purpose of the MoU was to support information sharing and exchange, networking, capacity building, and training.
The agreement comes ahead of African Energy Week 2023, which takes place in Cape Town from 16-20 October.
As the organisation representing the global nuclear industry, World Nuclear Association said it was in a unique position to share common messages and best practices from the global nuclear industry with African countries interested in nuclear energy.
Currently, Africa has two nuclear power reactors in operation at the Koeberg plant in South Africa, and four reactors under construction at the El Dabaa plant in Egypt. Meanwhile Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria have already made their national decision to deploy nuclear energy and are progressing with plans. African countries exploring the use of nuclear energy include Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Niger, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia. The World Nuclear Association Nuclear Fuel Report - published in September - estimates that by 2040 Africa could have 18 GWe of nuclear power based on current member state plans.
"Nuclear energy offers a golden opportunity to build a cleaner, more equitable world, in which everyone has access to clean abundant affordable 24/7 energy and a high quality of life," said World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León. "The association has recently engaged with key members and organisations in many African countries, recognising nuclear energy's enormous potential to support sustainable growth and development in the continent's energy landscape. I am delighted to partner with AFCONE to help Africa deploy nuclear energy and provide 24/7 clean energy for all."
"Nuclear energy has been identified among the viable clean energy sources for addressing Africa's energy poverty," added AFCONE Executive Secretary Enobot Agboraw. "The relative advantage of nuclear energy lies in its ability to provide base load, its long-term cost effectiveness, its environmental resilience, and the long operational lifespan of nuclear power plants. Considering Africa's steep population growth, AFCONE is striving, inter alia, through partnerships with key industry players, such as World Nuclear Association, to urgently expedite the process of deploying nuclear energy capacity in Africa."
The African Union established AFCONE in November 2010, following the entry into force of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (The Treaty of Pelindaba) in July 2009, which required the parties to establish a commission for the purpose of ensuring states' compliance with their treaty obligations and promoting peaceful nuclear cooperation, both regionally and internationally. The headquarters of AFCONE is in Pretoria, South Africa. AFCONE is financed by States Parties assessed contributions, as well as extrabudgetary funding.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News