RDI trains Journalists on Africa’s nuclear energy ‘misadventure’

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), in collaboration with Tipping Point North South UK, has organised a workshop for journalists to examine what participants described as the “misadventure” of nuclear energy programmes across Africa.
The training, titled Expert Workshop on the Global Movement Against New Nuclear Power Plants, brought together reporters from broadcast, print, and digital media to assess the risks associated with nuclear energy projects and explore renewable energy alternatives for the continent.
Executive Director of RDI, Philph Jakpor, said the workshop was designed to equip journalists with the knowledge needed to critically examine nuclear energy agreements and promote awareness of cleaner and safer energy options.
Jakpor noted that Nigeria still relies heavily on fossil fuels for electricity generation, while hydroelectric plants such as Shiroro, Kainji, and Jebba contribute a smaller share of the country’s power supply.
According to him, although Nigeria’s installed electricity generation capacity is estimated at about 12,000 megawatts, the actual power delivered to consumers has remained between 3,500 and 4,000 megawatts for more than two decades.
“To address this challenge, successive administrations have looked beyond fossil fuels for solutions. Unfortunately, the government appears determined to experiment with a technology that many Nigerians are uncomfortable with,” he said.
He recalled that in May 2016, the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia’s ROSATOM for the construction of four nuclear power plants in Nigeria at an estimated cost of $80 billion.
The proposed plants were expected to generate 4,800 megawatts of electricity by 2035, with ROSATOM retaining the majority stake in the projects.
Jakpor said civil society organisations had raised concerns over the secrecy surrounding the agreement, noting that host communities were neither consulted nor adequately informed before discussions commenced.
The workshop featured environmental advocates and experts from Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Germany, Russia, and the United States, who spoke on the environmental, economic, and political implications of nuclear energy projects in Africa.
In her welcome address, Deborah Burton of Tipping Point North South UK urged African countries to resist mounting pressure to embrace nuclear energy.
She argued that nuclear technology diverts attention and resources away from Africa’s vast renewable energy potential, which she said could address energy poverty more quickly, safely, and sustainably.
Burton identified 15 African countries with announced plans to pursue nuclear power programmes, including Angola, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, Senegal, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa currently the only African nation operating a nuclear power plant, built in 1984 during the apartheid era.
She also referenced a 2025 report titled The Alarming Rise of False Climate Solutions in Africa: The Nuclear Energy Misadventure, produced by 12 civil society organisations from Africa, Europe, and Russia.