Owusu on Africa: Burkina Faso joins the “league” of Russia’s “Nuclear MoUs” in Africa?

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

In the 1950s, Ghana’s first prime minister and president, Kwame Nkrumah, was clear about what the newly independent state needed – a home-built industrial base.

An astute pragmatist, Nkrumah knew what to do to make his vision a reality. The government identified a gorge on Ghana’s longest river, the Volta.

He approached the Kennedy administration to seek funding for what became one of the largest hydroelectric dams in Africa. He got an aluminium smelter as part of the package. The dam for a long time became the country’s energy backbone.

And so what?

For decades, African states have faced significant energy deficits as the populations grow and decades-old energy sources seldom get expanded. This has meant that the development of domestic industries is almost impossible.

News that Russia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Sahelian State of Burkina Faso to build a nuclear plant while welcoming, raises some concerns and questions.

What are these?

Firstly, Burkina Faso has a huge energy gap that needs to be closed. Less than 30 percent of the population is connected to the national grid. However, the country currently faces levels of insecurity not seen in its over 6 decades of independence.

Fundamentally, therefore, any attempt to expand electricity infrastructure is likely to meet hostility in many parts of the country. This poses a challenge to what seems to be an energy agreement between Moscow and Ouagadougou.

Secondly, Burkina Faso is not the first country in Africa Russia has signed a deal to build a nuclear plant. In West Africa, Moscow has signed similar deals with Ghana and Nigeria. It has also had agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.

While most of these agreements were signed before the Ukraine War, “almost” none has seen anything beyond the MoUs that prompted their announcements.

Also, while nuclear energy remains a viable option for many African countries, it does not appear that a country fighting a draining war and under sanctions imposed by powerful economies has the financial space for the investment required to build it.

Way forward?

Sahelian states including Burkina Faso have huge resources like uranium (an important fuel for nuclear energy) which could be essential to ensuring energy security in the region. This notwithstanding, governments should pursue workable and viable solutions to the problem rather than resorting to agreements that could “seldom” take off.

Other energy sources including solar, and hydroelectricity should be explored. However, all could be realized in a secure environment.

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.