The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is ready to support African countries on their path to developing nuclear energy, the agency’s director general said Tuesday.
“There is no reason why Africa … should not be part of this trend that is picking up in the world,” Rafael Grossi said at the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.
He described the 2023 COP conference in Dubai as a “watershed moment,” when “all countries realized that we all need nuclear.”
“It does not mean that every country is going to have nuclear, but it simply means that we are not going to move into a global economy which is gradually decarbonized and insufficient without the contribution of nuclear energy and technology,” Grossi said, adding that technology is offering “solutions” and “new alternatives.”
He noted that beyond traditional nuclear power, African nations are particularly interested in small modular reactors and microreactors.
Developing nuclear energy requires infrastructure and capacity building, he said.
“And (we) will be here with you, hand in hand, accompanying Africa in its journey into nuclear energy,” he concluded.
The two-day summit began Monday in Rwanda’s capital, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders and global experts to explore the potential of small modular and microreactors in accelerating Africa’s energy transition.
By Nur Asena Erturk
Anadolu Agency
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