In Tanzania, Rosatom’s Mkuju River uranium project in the south of the country has moved from pilot to pre-production. The Nyota deposit holds an estimated 58,500 tonnes of uranium, with planned output of up to 3,000 tonnes a year once commercial mining begins; a pilot plant has been running since 2025, trial mining and processing continue this year, and design of the main production plant is being completed, according to Tanzanian officials speaking at a Russia-Africa nuclear forum in Dar es Salaam Oct. 23. The project is run by Mantra Tanzania, part of Rosatom’s Uranium One. Najat Mohammed, director general of the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission, told the forum that Tanzania is exploring nuclear power generation and aims for universal electricity access by 2030. Harun Makandi, speaking for the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, said nuclear science “should be seen as a development tool,” not only in its military connotation.

President Putin is hosting the Third Russia-Africa Summit, which opens in Moscow on Oct. 28.