Alice Umutesi
The second edition of the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (NEISA 2026) has kicked off in Kigali, bringing together African leaders, global nuclear energy experts, financiers, and policymakers to discuss the continent’s nuclear energy future.
The four-day summit, running until May 21, focuses on how African countries can turn nuclear energy ambitions into practical and bankable projects capable of addressing the continent’s growing electricity demand.
The summit, themed “Powering Africa’s future: Turning Nuclear Energy Ambition into Investable Reality,” will be officially opened by President Paul Kagame today.
Among the expected African leaders are President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Council Ministers of Togo and Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Zeine of Niger.
The gathering will also attract senior figures from leading international nuclear institutions, including Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, William D. Magwood IV, Director General of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, and Sylvie Bermann, President of the World Nuclear Exhibition.
Lassina Zerbo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), said financing remains the key challenge in advancing nuclear energy projects in Africa, which is why the second edition of the summit is focusing heavily on investment solutions.
“We have invited financial institutions including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the West African Development Bank, and the National Bank of Rwanda is also part of the discussions,” he said in an interview with Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) on May 18.
ALSO READ: Nuclear energy not too risky for developing countries – Kagame
The programme will feature several high-level panel discussions, including sessions on global leadership perspectives on financing Africa’s nuclear energy future, Africa’s nuclear energy investment case, and the role of social acceptance in successful project delivery.
Zerbo said Africa is not newly considering nuclear energy, but rather reaching a stage where trust, institutional readiness, and technology are aligning.
“Nuclear energy has always been there, but technology has evolved. Now we have solutions like small modular reactors, which are more adaptable to our grids. Many of our electricity systems are not yet at the level to absorb the large amounts of power from conventional nuclear reactors.”
“When people hear about nuclear energy in our part of the world, they often think of the bomb. But we are talking about peaceful uses, which include agriculture, medicine, food systems, and even health applications like mosquito control,” he added.
Organisers say the summit is also expected to help shape practical frameworks for countries exploring nuclear energy development.
Key expected outcomes include the establishment of a Nuclear Energy Financing Reference Framework, the launch of regional cooperation and aggregation workstreams, stronger demand signals from industry and utility companies to improve project bankability, and consolidated priorities for regulatory and institutional readiness.
The summit is also expected to produce a post-summit action framework covering the 2026–2027 implementation period.
NEISA 2026 is organised in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, the World Nuclear Association, and the World Nuclear Exhibition.
New Times
