African countries pushing forward with nuclear energy programmes

African countries are aiming to achieve a total nuclear power generating capacity of 15 GW by 2035, most of it in West Africa. This would require a capital investment of $105-billion. This was highlighted at a recent webinar organised by the Nuclear Business Platform consultancy, with the participation of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria. More than 15 African countries had formal nuclear energy programmes, at different stages of development. These ranged from the adoption of the necessary policies to the development of regulations, and from site selection to discussions with vendors.
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AfDB has launched Phase II of continental electrification programme

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched the next stage of the Mission 300 initiative, which is a joint AfDB-World Bank programme to connect 300-million Africans with electricity by 2030. This latest stage is designated AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II. It is a $3.9-million technical assistance project, which directly builds upon the $1-million AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which was launched in December. Phase II of the programme will benefit 13 countries, namely Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauretania, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. It will assist these countries to implement their National Energy Compacts, which are national plans to expand electricity access, attract investment and reinforce power sectors in each of the participating countries. (Dozens of African countries have developed such compacts.)
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