- Nuclear Energy Gains Policy Support as Ghana Looks Beyond Fossil Fuels and Renewables
Ghana is deepening its push towards nuclear power as part of a broader strategy to secure reliable, low-carbon electricity for industrialisation, with Deputy Energy and Green Transition Minister Richard Gyan-Mensah backing calls for Ghana and other African countries to invest more aggressively in nuclear energy.
The intervention reflects a growing policy view that Africa’s future electricity systems cannot rely solely on intermittent renewable sources and fossil fuels if governments are to meet rapidly rising demand from industry, urbanisation, digital infrastructure and population growth.
Speaking on the role of nuclear power in Africa’s energy transition, Gyan-Mensah argued that nuclear energy should increasingly be considered a strategic investment rather than a distant technological option. The government has already identified nuclear power as part of Ghana’s long-term generation mix, with officials positioning it as a source of dependable baseload electricity capable of supporting industrial activity around the clock.
The policy argument is particularly relevant for Ghana because electricity demand is expected to rise substantially as the country expands manufacturing, mining, data centres, transport electrification and other energy-intensive economic activities.
Unlike solar and wind, nuclear plants can generate electricity continuously, making them potentially valuable for systems that require stable power while integrating larger amounts of variable renewable energy.
Gyan-Mensah has previously described nuclear power as a “strategic imperative” for Ghana, arguing that it can provide baseload electricity for industrialisation, reduce carbon emissions and strengthen energy security.
That position places nuclear power within Ghana’s wider attempt to diversify a generation system currently dependent on hydroelectricity, thermal plants fuelled by natural gas and liquid fuels, and a still relatively limited contribution from utility-scale renewables.
The country’s interest in nuclear power has been developing for years, but the debate is gradually shifting from technical feasibility towards financing, governance and implementation.
Ghana has been working with international institutions to develop the regulatory and institutional structures required for a nuclear power programme. Discussions have also intensified around the proposed establishment of a dedicated Ghana Nuclear Power Company, which would become a central vehicle for developing the country’s first nuclear plant.
Russia’s Ambassador to Ghana, Andrei Ordash, recently said a memorandum of understanding between the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and Russia’s Rosatom had created a basis for possible cooperation on a nuclear power project, including the training of Ghanaian technical personnel.
Ghana’s nuclear ambitions are also unfolding against a broader resurgence in global interest in atomic energy.
Nuclear generation reached a record 2,667 terawatt-hours globally in 2024, according to the World Nuclear Association, while projections indicate global nuclear capacity could rise substantially by 2050 as countries seek reliable electricity alongside lower emissions.
Ghana has endorsed the international declaration to triple nuclear energy capacity, placing it among countries supporting a larger role for the technology in future energy systems.
For Africa, the argument is closely tied to the continent’s persistent electricity deficit.
South Africa remains the continent’s only country currently operating a commercial nuclear power station, although Egypt is constructing a nuclear plant and several countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Morocco are at various stages of planning, feasibility studies and institutional preparation.
African economies require significantly more electricity to industrialise, while climate commitments make it increasingly difficult to rely indefinitely on carbon-intensive generation.
Nuclear energy offers one possible solution because it can provide large volumes of electricity with relatively low operational carbon emissions.
Large conventional nuclear plants require enormous upfront capital expenditure and can take many years to plan, finance and construct. Cost overruns and delays have affected projects in several countries, meaning Ghana will need to demonstrate that any nuclear programme is financially sustainable and does not create excessive public debt or electricity costs.
Financing is therefore likely to determine whether Ghana’s nuclear ambition moves from policy to construction.
The Institute of Economic Affairs has identified financing, governance, regulation, public confidence and institutional readiness as some of the central questions Ghana must resolve before implementation.
There is also the issue of grid readiness.
A nuclear plant typically represents a very large single generation asset. Ghana must therefore ensure that its transmission system is capable of absorbing and distributing the additional capacity while maintaining system stability.
The development of smaller modular reactors could eventually offer an alternative. These technologies are being promoted as potentially more flexible and scalable than traditional large reactors, although commercial deployment remains relatively limited globally.
Safety and waste management will also remain central to public debate.
Any nuclear programme will require robust independent regulation, emergency preparedness, long-term arrangements for radioactive waste and clear separation between political decision-making and technical oversight.
For Ghana, nuclear energy is therefore not simply a power-generation decision. It is a multi-decade national infrastructure commitment involving financing, skills development, regulation, security and public trust.
The government’s increasingly vocal support nevertheless shows that nuclear power is moving closer to the centre of Ghana’s long-term energy strategy.
The attraction is ultimately strategic: reliable electricity remains fundamental to industrial competitiveness, and Ghana’s future demand is unlikely to be met sustainably through one energy source alone.
The challenge will be converting nuclear ambition into a project that is technically credible, financially affordable and institutionally well governed.
If those conditions can be met, nuclear power could eventually provide Ghana with an additional pillar of baseload generation while demonstrating a pathway for other African economies seeking to reconcile industrialisation with long-term energy security and lower-carbon growth.
