What African countries lead to nuclear energy race? | economy

At a time when more than half of the population of the African continent is still deprived of electricity, about 20 African countries seek to adopt nuclear energy, as a strategic option to secure its energy needs, reduce emissions, and promote sustainability.

However, the actual progress in this regard is still limited, as 4 countries have not exceeded the construction stage, and South Africa remains the only country with a working nuclear plant.

Egypt is progressing

Egypt is one of the most prominent countries that have come to advance in this field, as it continues to work on the Dabaa nuclear plant project, which includes 4 reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts.

The project is implemented by the Russian company “Ross Atom” with a budget of 30 billion dollars, of which 25 billion funded through a Russian loan.

In the year 2025, the project obtained a license to establish a consumer fuel storage facility, and the first reactor is expected to be operated by 2028, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria in the construction stage

Besides Egypt and South Africa, the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency indicate that 3 other countries are preparing to enter the construction stage, namely: Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, where these countries work on the necessary technical and contractual preparations, pending the final political decision.

In a previous statement in November 2023, Agency Director -General Rafael Mariano Grossi called on the Kingdom of Morocco to join the list of “nuclear states” in the coming years.

However, the last report classifies Morocco within the first stage, which is the stage of preliminary studies that officially lead the nuclear program.

The first stage countries and before

The first stage includes the following countries: Algeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia, which are countries that have begun to study the feasibility without taking executive steps yet.

As for the preceding stage, known as “before the first stage”, it includes 9 countries that have not yet started with any practical steps, namely: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Djibouti, Tanzania, Madagascar, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

An African momentum attracts companies

The African interest in nuclear energy was not absent from the attention of the major international companies, led by the French company “EDF”, which established the “Cuberg” station in South Africa.

Likewise, the South Korean company “Kipco”, the Russian “Ross Atom”, and the China National Nuclear Energy Corporation, which topped the global market in 2024, launched 7 out of 9 projects in the world.

According to the report of the “World Nuclear Industry” report issued in January, the world has witnessed during the past five years the launch of 40 nuclear reactors, including 26 in China, one reactor in Pakistan through Chinese companies, and 13 reactors carried out by the Russian nuclear industry in Egypt, India, Turkey and Russia.