Rwanda, which hosted the recent Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit on Africa (NEISA) 2026 has signed new nuclear deals with both Russia and the US in the past few weeks as it strives to develop its economy. Speaking during a plenary session at NEISA Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, stressed that Rwanda refuses to remain a mere supplier of raw materials in a rapidly changing global economy.
“When you think about the energy architecture that is required, especially for nations that are trying to compete in a world where AI workloads and mineral processing are primary determinants for industrial competitiveness, then the conversation around energy becomes a priority for everyone,” she said. “For Rwanda being a landlocked country and import dependent country, especially when it comes to fossil fuels, investing in an SMR [small modular reactor] becomes a non-negotiable,” she said.
Alice Uwase, CEO of the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum & Gas Board (RMB), told NEISA that Rwanda is mechanising mines nationwide, but inconsistent electricity remains a major obstacle. “We are mechanising all our mines, but we need a consistent supply of energy. There are some refineries and smelters currently on hold because we don’t have the right energy,” she said.
Rwanda is rich in key minerals such as wolframite, the ore used to produce tungsten, widely used in defence systems, industrial drilling tools, aerospace manufacturing, and electronics. Rwanda is also exploring lithium resources. “What we’ve started to negotiate in agreements is that once the energy is available in Rwanda, we establish value-addition facilities here,” Uwase said.
Officials say Rwanda is already planning for future electricity demand ahead of the SMR construction, identifying mining companies, manufacturers, and digital infrastructure projects as long-term industrial off-takers. For policymakers, the strategy goes beyond electricity production. Rwanda is also preparing the regulatory systems, industrial planning frameworks, and skills development programmes needed to support a future nuclear economy.
According to the IAEA, Rwanda views nuclear energy as a key component of a diversified power strategy aimed at reducing dependence on electricity imports and liquid fuels. Authorities have set a target of sourcing more than 60% of the country’s electricity from nuclear energy by 2050.
During NEISA, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi delivered the agency’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Phase 1 report. The report, the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB) said: “Affirms Rwanda’s readiness to advance to Phase 2 of its nuclear power programme development, reflecting continued commitment to building the infrastructure, regulatory capacity, human capital, and partnerships needed to deploy nuclear energy in support of long-term energy security, industrial growth, and sustainable socio-economic transformation.”
Grossi, posting X, said the IAEA and Rwanda had also signed an agreement which was an “important step forward for Rwanda’s nuclear energy plans … to strengthen cooperation on integrating nuclear energy into Rwanda’s energy mix, including SMRs. The agreement covers support on energy planning, infrastructure development, training, stakeholder engagement, financing and capacity building.” He added: “Rwanda can count on the IAEA as it moves forward with its nuclear energy programme.”
Also during NEISA, Rwanda signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US. The US Embassy in Kigali said the agreement creates a long-term framework for cooperation on civilian nuclear energy and related technologies. The deal “marks an important step toward strengthening cooperation on civil nuclear energy and expanding opportunities for collaboration in support of reliable and secure energy development.”
An agreement was also signed between the RAEB and Holtec International to advance the deployment of Holtec’s SMR-300 in Rwanda. The signing ceremony was witnessed by senior officials from both governments, including Renee Sonderman, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation (ACN) for the US State Department, and Dr Usta Kayitesi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda.
“Through this agreement, Holtec and RAEB will work together to deploy SMR-300 units in Rwanda, with a potential total capacity of up to approximately 5 GW, supporting the country’s strategy to deploy reliable baseload power without carbon emissions which will serve as an engine for long-term economic growth in the nation. Holtec is proud to help navigate Rwanda transition to a nuclear power generator and to help position the country as a pioneer in the field of SMR deployment in Africa,” said Holtec’s Enterprise Unit Director Rafael Marin.
Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs noted: “We look forward to working with Rwanda and Holtec to bring this transformative SMR project to fruition, ensuring that American nuclear leadership continues to light the way forward for nations seeking to achieve their energy security and economic development goals.”
Holtec’s President, Dr Richard M Springman, said: “We are pleased to begin our cooperation with Rwanda Atomic Energy Board and to support the US Government’s strategic vision to support the nation’s sustained economic growth by developing strong domestic power generation capacity. Our integrated delivery model spanning our SMR-300 reactor technology, EPC delivery (in partnership with Hyundai E&C), spent fuel management, operating support, and decommissioning will be essential to accelerate a holistic commercial nuclear programme in Rwanda.”
Beyond Holtec, Rwanda is exploring SMR technologies with Canadian-German nuclear startup Dual Fluid Energy and US nuclear startup Nano Nuclear. The agreement with Dual signed in 2023 is for construction of a 1 MW demonstration test reactor design using liquid fuel and a lead coolant. The Rwandan government agreed to provide the physical site and baseline infrastructure. The 2024 agreement with NANO focuses on evaluating and integrating portable. The deal includes a strategic framework backed by the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre to build local technical expertise, giving Rwandan scientists dedicated training pathways to handle microreactor technologies safely. There has been little progress on these projects.
However, behind all these latest agreements is a long-standing and developing nuclear relationship with Russia. a memorandum of understanding was signed in Moscow in June 2018 to establish basic cooperation guidelines for the peaceful use of atomic energy. The following December, a legally binding Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed in Moscow providing the formal framework to build a nuclear science centre and full-scale power plants. An Implementation Roadmap was signed between Rosatom and the Rwandan Embassy in Moscow in May 2019. This scheduled early personnel training and specific layout steps for the science centre.
A Finalised Construction Agreement was signed at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi later in 2019, explicitly binding both nations to building the Nuclear Science & Technology Centre (CNST) in Rwanda, featuring a 10 MW research reactor. This agreement was subsequently ratified and passed into law by Rwanda’s Chamber of Deputies in 2020. In July 2023 a Broadened Atomic Energy Cooperation Agreement was signed to more deeply integrate peaceful applications of atomic technologies.
Just before the NEISA conference, on 15 May a Commercial Nuclear Power Plant Agreement was finalised with Rosatom to officially build Rwanda’s first commercial nuclear infrastructure. The document defines specific measures until the end of 2026 which relate to the start of the project to build CNST and also SMR technology with an operational date of 2030-32, Rwanda staff training in Russia is separately stated as key task. Rwandan students are already studying in Russia on various nuclear programmes.
This was followed on 20 May by a Healthcare and Nuclear Medicine MOU signed between the Russian and Rwandan health ministries, focusing specifically on cancer diagnostics, radiation therapies, and isotope creation.
According to First Post Africa: “Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is pursuing a high-risk geopolitical balancing act by building nuclear partnerships with both Donald Trump’s United States and Vladimir Putin’s Russia at the same time.… Kagame appears determined to turn great power rivalry into strategic leverage, using both Moscow and Washington to advance Rwanda’s long-term energy ambitions and geopolitical influence across Africa.”
According to First Post Africa, the US offers private investment, a regulatory framework and “Western credibility”. Moscow by contrast offers state-backed financing, engineering support, technical training and long-term strategic support. “This is not old-style non-alignment but strategic multi-alignment. Work with everyone and depend on no-one. If Washington applies too much pressure, Moscow is available. If Russia becomes too dominant, the West is still in the room.”
