Rwandan President Paul Kagame has reaffirmed his government’s intention to place nuclear energy at the centre of Rwanda’s long term development agenda, describing it as a strategic component of the country’s efforts to expand electricity supply and support industrial transformation under its Vision 2050 framework.
Speaking in Paris at the opening of the second Nuclear Energy Summit, Kagame emphasised that reliable and scalable energy systems remain essential for countries seeking sustained economic growth. The summit, convened with the participation of leaders from more than 60 countries alongside senior officials from international organisations, brought together policymakers and energy specialists to examine the future of civil nuclear energy and its potential role in global energy transitions.
Kagame joined French President Emmanuel Macron and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, in discussions focused on expanding access to nuclear technologies, strengthening regulatory frameworks and improving financing mechanisms for emerging nuclear programmes.
Rwanda’s Vision 2050 strategy outlines the country’s ambition to reach upper middle income status by 2035 and high income status by mid century. According to the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, achieving these targets will require substantial increases in energy generation capacity to support manufacturing, digital infrastructure and urban development.
Addressing the summit, Kagame said Rwanda’s decision to incorporate nuclear power into its energy planning reflects a broader objective to diversify national energy sources while maintaining grid stability. Rwanda currently relies primarily on hydropower, methane gas from Lake Kivu, solar installations and imported electricity within the East African regional power pool. Government data from the Ministry of Infrastructure indicates that the country has steadily expanded generation capacity over the past decade, yet demand continues to rise as industrialisation and electrification accelerate.
In this context, Kigali has explored nuclear energy as a potential long term solution capable of providing consistent baseload power. Rwanda signed agreements with international partners in recent years to advance feasibility studies and develop regulatory capacity. The country has also collaborated with the IAEA nuclear power programme to strengthen institutional readiness for nuclear energy deployment.
Kagame noted that hundreds of Rwandan students and professionals have undertaken training in nuclear science and engineering through partnerships with universities and research institutions abroad. These programmes form part of Rwanda’s broader effort to cultivate a domestic knowledge base capable of managing advanced technologies while adhering to international safety standards.
Particular attention has been directed towards small modular reactors, an emerging class of nuclear technology designed to generate lower levels of electricity than conventional nuclear plants while offering greater flexibility for countries with smaller national grids. According to the IAEA, SMRs are being developed globally as an alternative for states seeking reliable low carbon energy without the scale or cost of traditional nuclear infrastructure.
Kagame suggested that such technologies could be especially relevant for African economies where electricity demand is rising rapidly but grid systems remain comparatively limited in scale. Several African countries have already begun examining nuclear power options within broader strategies aimed at strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. South Africa currently operates the continent’s only commercial nuclear power station at Koeberg, while countries including Egypt and Ghana are pursuing new nuclear energy projects with international partners.
The discussions in Paris reflected growing global interest in the potential contribution of nuclear energy to climate mitigation and energy access. The International Energy Agency has noted that nuclear power remains one of the largest sources of low carbon electricity worldwide, although the pace of new construction and the economics of emerging reactor designs continue to be debated.
Within Africa, the question of how to expand energy systems while maintaining environmental sustainability and economic feasibility remains central to policy discussions. The African Development Bank estimates that more than 600 million people on the continent still lack reliable access to electricity, a structural constraint that affects industrial growth, health systems and digital connectivity.
Kagame framed Rwanda’s interest in nuclear energy within this broader continental context, emphasising the importance of partnerships that enable African countries to participate in technological transitions on equitable terms. He also called for increased international cooperation in financing, regulatory development and knowledge exchange to support countries considering nuclear energy programmes.
While Rwanda’s nuclear ambitions remain at an early planning stage, the government has positioned the initiative as part of a diversified approach to energy development rather than a replacement for existing renewable sources. Analysts note that the country continues to invest in solar generation, hydropower and regional power integration alongside its exploration of nuclear technologies.
The summit in Paris provided a platform for governments and multilateral institutions to discuss these evolving dynamics. For Rwanda and other African states, the debate reflects wider questions about how emerging technologies can be integrated into development pathways that respond to local realities while engaging with global energy transitions.
