From the outset, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (NEISA) was designed to bring together leaders, experts and partners to advance Africa’s nuclear energy goals.
The strong participation at the summit this year reflects a growing consensus that the future of our economies depends on how quickly we solve the energy challenge.
Rwanda is pleased to have successfully completed the IAEA’s Phase 1 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review. We intend to have nuclear energy operational by the early 2030s, and this assessment confirms that we are on track.
For Africa, energy is not simply a development issue. It is the foundation of industrial growth, and competitiveness. Modern manufacturing, mineral processing, digital infrastructure, and advanced healthcare all depend on reliable power. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and data-driven industries will also significantly increase energy consumption.
Countries that cannot meet this demand will struggle to compete. This is why Rwanda considers nuclear energy a critical component of Africa’s long-term transformation.
As more countries move in this direction, international reviews and regulatory processes should not become barriers, but instead offer the necessary support. For Rwanda, small modular reactors represent the most practical way forward.
They are better suited to the realities of most African countries, because they can be deployed gradually, and integrated into smaller grids at a lower cost. Renewable energy will remain indispensable, particularly solar and hydro, where Africa has enormous potential.
But our economies cannot function efficiently on intermittent supply alone. At the centre of this endeavour, is the question of investment. Too often, investors hesitate because they perceive many risks in Africa. We must work to strengthen regulation, ensure consistency and accountability in order to build confidence and attract long-term capital.
The international financing environment is also evolving. Nuclear energy is increasingly recognised as part of the clean energy transition and that creates new opportunities.
What Africa cannot afford is fragmentation. If countries work in isolation, progress will be slow and far more costly. Cooperation on regulation, financing, and regional power integration is essential. This is precisely why NEISA matters.
We are moving the conversation beyond ambition to practical coordination, and financing mechanisms that can sustain deployment at scale. Rwanda will continue supporting these efforts, because this is larger than any one country.
By 2050, Africa will have the largest workforce in the world. 7/7 That demographic shift can become one of the greatest economic advantages of this century, if we prepare for it. In this regard, we are delighted that Togo will host the next NEISA, and carry forward this continental momentum.
Paul Kagame is President of Rwanda.This is an edited version of his opening remarks at NEISA 2016 in Kigali on 19 May 2026.
For Africa, energy is not simply a development issue. It is the foundation of industrial growth, and competitiveness.