…New report from 12 global organisations warns that nuclear energy plans across 13 African nations risk debt, disaster, and dependency, urging a swift pivot to renewables ahead of the Bonn Climate Conference.
By Bunmi Yekini
As African nations prepare to present their climate strategies at the Bonn Climate Change Conference SB62 in Germany on June 16, a coalition of twelve civil society organisations from Africa, Europe, and Russia has released a blistering new report decrying the continent’s increasing interest in nuclear power as a climate solution.
Titled “The Alarming Rise of False Climate Solutions in Africa: The Nuclear Energy Misadventure,” the report scrutinises recent announcements by 13 African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt, planning to incorporate nuclear power into their energy mix. South Africa remains the only country on the continent with an operational nuclear power plant, built during the apartheid era.
“This comprehensive report lays out the case for why the nuclear energy option is not compatible with the demands of a just transition,” writes Makoma Lekalakala, a 2018 Goldman Prize winner for Africa, in her foreword. “It shows how the nuclear energy lobby undermines and obstructs the need for net zero to be achieved by 100% clean sustainable renewable energy.”
The civil society organisations warn that nuclear power, often touted as a low-carbon energy source, is ill-suited for Africa’s urgent needs. They argue that it is slow, expensive, and dangerous, with risks that far outweigh its potential benefits, particularly in a continent still grappling with basic energy access, economic vulnerability, and high external debt. “Nuclear plans are a misadventure,” said Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Nigeria’s Renevlyn Development Initiative. “Nigeria is not ready to host nuclear plants. We’ve had longstanding issues with oil and gas infrastructure already vulnerable to theft and sabotage. A nuclear plant would become a terrorist target. Security would require the kind of military defence only another country, like Russia, could provide.”
The report emphasises the geopolitical stakes, warning that Africa is at risk of becoming a “testing ground” for foreign nuclear interests, with projects being pushed by Russian, Chinese, and European companies.
In Ghana, where the government has publicly embraced nuclear energy, activists are pushing back. “From environmental disasters to economic concerns, it’s time for Ghana to reject nuclear power,” said Alberta Kpeleku, Executive Director of 360 Human Rights. “Nuclear accidents, radioactive waste, terrorism, these are not legacy problems we should pass to future generations. Solar, wind, hydro and geothermal should be our priorities.”
In Uganda, where authorities have announced plans to reach near-universal electricity access by 2030 through nuclear energy, critics say the strategy is unrealistic. “Uganda’s energy problem is not about production but distribution,” said Sam Mucunguzi of Uganda Environment Action Now. “The country already has over 1000 MW in excess power. But building a nuclear plant will take more than a decade and cost a quarter of our national budget. We’re already deeply indebted, adding nuclear power to the mix is economic suicide.”
Kenyan activist and Goldman Prize laureate Phyllis Omido was more pointed, “Nuclear energy translates to *energy slavery* for African people for generations to come. Renewable energy is freedom, for our people and for our planet.”
The report outlines an urgent call for action: halt all nuclear energy plans across the continent, redirect billions earmarked for nuclear projects toward clean, accessible, renewable sources, and institute a moratorium on new nuclear development pending broad public consultation.
Francesca de Gasparis of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute said: “When we compare nuclear to other energy choices in the 21st century, cost, safety, construction time, and waste, there is simply no rationale for nuclear.”
Meanwhile, Russian environmentalist Vladimir Slivyak warned of a global security dimension, “Nuclear power is expensive, slow, and dangerous. It’s vulnerable to both climate disasters and war. Every civilian plant produces material that can be weaponised. Africa deserves safer, cheaper options—renewables.”
The report also urges institutions like the World Bank to exclude nuclear power from its “Mission 300” initiative, which aims to electrify 300 million Africans by 2030. Authors argue nuclear projects violate environmental and social safeguards, and cannot meet the urgent timelines required to solve energy poverty.
As climate debates intensify in Bonn, the report is expected to be a powerful counterpoint to the coordinated push by pro-nuclear lobbies. For the authors, the path forward is clear: Africa’s future lies in the sun, the wind, and the rivers, not uranium.