Support The Moscow Times!

Rwanda Counting on Russia to Train Nuclear Power Specialists

STRINGER / AFP

Rwanda said Saturday it was counting on Russia training its citizens to become specialists in nuclear energy, as the African country bets on nuclear power to boost its energy supply.

Moscow is courting fresh diplomatic and economic ties with African countries, and its expertise in nuclear power is seen as one of the major draws of closer ties.

“Rwanda needs nuclear energy,” Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told AFP in an interview at the Russia-Africa forum taking place in the resort city of Sochi this weekend.

Hundreds of Rwandan students have graduated from Russian universities including “those who specialize in nuclear science,” he said.

“We hope to be able to train a certain number of scientific managers specializing in this field,” he added.

Rwanda, a small landlocked country with a population of around 13 million, generates around half its electricity from thermal sources, another 44 percent from hydro and four percent from solar.

Russia's Rosatom struck a deal in 2019 to help build nuclear power stations in the country.

Rwanda has also announced deals with a U.S. firm and a German-Canadian company to build various small-scale nuclear power projects in the country.

South Africa is currently the only country in Africa with a commercial nuclear power plant.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more