Of all African nations, possibly Ghana has the most advanced aspirations to harness nuclear power for its energy needs. They have surmounted every hurdle placed in front of them by imperial gatekeepers such as the International Energy Association, for example. All they lack is financing, for which they need help from an advanced country.
As far back as 2015. Ghana signed an MOU with Russia to advance nuclear cooperation, which included design and construction of nuclear power plants, research reactors and even an atomic particle accelerator. In 2023, Russia announced that Rosatom had begun the construction of a fleet of “floating nuclear energy plants,” according to the state newspaper, GhanaToday. Speaking in Akkra, Rusatom CEO Ryan Collyer said, “We are very committed to this project in Ghana and we want to ensure that this cooperation works. We are also very committed to our Floating Nuclear Power Plant efforts, all in the bid to strengthen the cooperation with Ghana.”
U.S. efforts to advance nuclear power in Ghana began only in 2022—after the rude awakening from the West by the UN vote to “condemn Russia” for their actions in Ukraine—and (unfortunately) have a heavy geopolitical tinge to them as a result. Despite the minimal expectations arising from that motivation, on Jan 21, 2025, the U.S. delivered on promises, as they presented the NuScale Energy Exploration Center to the Ghanan authorities. As explained by the release from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, “the center is poised to play a pivotal role in building a highly skilled workforce, adhering to international safety standards and supporting Ghana’s ambitions to lead nuclear energy development on the continent.”
While both the U.S. and Russia say they have the “good of the Ghanaian people” at the heart of their motivations, the fact remains that they have been operating on two different tracks since their inception, and could accomplish more, faster, if the two programs were coordinated (or even combined). It is just this potential which exists now, with the new U.S. Trump administration. That the Russians would welcome such a proposal is almost certain.
