Russia announced on Friday, October 13, that it had signed agreements with Mali and Burkina Faso aimed at developing those countries’ civilian nuclear sectors. These agreements were concluded during the Russian Energy Week in Moscow.
“The government of Burkina Faso has signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a nuclear power plant,” Ouagadougou confirmed in a press release. The construction of this nuclear power plant is aimed at meeting the energy needs of the population. » Burkina Faso imports a large part of its electricity from its neighbors. According to the African Development Bank, at the end of 2020, only 22.5% of Burkinabés had access to electricity.
The Russian atomic energy authority Rosatom also announced on Friday that it had signed a cooperation agreement with neighboring Mali to expand civil nuclear energy. According to her, the document is primarily about the “development of Mali’s nuclear infrastructure,” the “training of personnel, nuclear research facilities and nuclear energy,” as well as “raising public awareness” about this energy.
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Only one nuclear power plant on the continent
There is currently only one nuclear power plant on the African continent, in South Africa, in Koeberg, near Cape Town. According to South African researcher Iyabo Usman, who specializes in nuclear structures, Burkina Faso “does not have enough qualified personnel to operate this nuclear power plant” and has to rely on foreign personnel. She also mentions “a competition between China and Russia on the continent” over investment in nuclear power plants.
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power, Ouagadougou has distanced itself from Paris, a historical partner and former colonial power, notably by enforcing the withdrawal of French soldiers from its territory in February. France has been involved militarily alongside the Malian army against the jihadists since 2013. In January 2022, the junta even expelled the French ambassador.
Russia, for its part, has been trying to strengthen its diplomatic and security relations with Africa since the invasion of Ukraine began, competing with France in certain countries.
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