How the African Union Can Potentially Shape Africa’s Nuclear Landscape
Nuclear energy is emerging in Africa not as a distant aspiration, but as a structured policy consideration. As several countries advance national positions and preparatory milestones, attention is shifting from whether nuclear power is viable to how it will be governed, coordinated, and integrated across the continent.
In this transition, the role of the African Union (AU) could become strategically significant. While energy choices remain sovereign decisions, continental institutions increasingly shape the policy environment within which those decisions are implemented.
For African countries exploring or preparing for nuclear power, the question is what practical role the AU can play, and what member states should realistically expect as nuclear programmes move from intent to execution.
Nuclear Energy Within Africa’s Development Imperative
Projections cited by Nuclear Business Platform indicate that Africa could add up to 15,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2035, representing an estimated investment opportunity of approximately USD 105 billion. Several sub-Saharan African countries (South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Niger and Ethiopia among them) have committed to incorporating nuclear into their energy mix between 2030 and 2037.
In this landscape, the AU’s role is not to replace national sovereignty over energy decisions. Rather, it acts as a continental coordinator which can align political, regulatory, planning, and technical ecosystems to reduce fragmentation.
Institutional Architecture: A Structured Approach to Nuclear Governance
The AU operates through a layered institutional system that separates political direction, technical coordination, and regulatory oversight while maintaining coherence across them.
At the political and policy level, the African Union Commission (AUC) serves as the Union’s secretariat. Within it, the Department of Infrastructure and Energy coordinates continental energy strategies, including implementation of the African Energy Transition Strategy. Through this channel, nuclear energy can become part of a broader infrastructure conversation rather than a standalone initiative.
Energy data and system modelling are anchored by the African Energy Commission (AFREC), which manages the African Energy Information System. Reliable continental energy data is critical for long-term planning and investment modelling, including future nuclear deployment.
Project coordination and implementation capacity are supported by African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), which oversees priority regional infrastructure projects and manages the Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP). The CMP is the technical blueprint underpinning the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), designed to integrate generation and transmission planning across 1.3 billion people.
Within this architecture, nuclear energy becomes embedded in continental grid integration, infrastructure sequencing, and cross-border corridor planning.
Strategic Partnerships: Elevating Institutional Credibility
The AU has also strengthened its nuclear engagement through structured international partnerships.
In 2022, the AUC renewed practical arrangements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), extending cooperation through 2026. This framework covers energy planning, nuclear power development, regulatory legislation, radiation safety, nuclear security, agriculture, water, and health applications. Through this mechanism, African countries benefit from technical assistance in drafting legislation, establishing regulatory bodies, and aligning with international safeguards standards.
More recently, the 2026 tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the AUC, AFCONE, and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD NEA) marked a strategic deepening of engagement. The agreement focuses on regulatory strengthening, research collaboration, institutional capacity building, and mobilisation of technical and financial resources.
Integrating Nuclear into the Continental Power System Masterplan
One of the AU’s most consequential roles lies in grid integration. The Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP), coordinated by AUDA-NEPAD, is the primary mechanism for identifying cross-border electricity corridors and prioritising generation investments. Nuclear power, given its scale and baseload characteristics, requires robust grid capacity and interconnection.
By embedding nuclear considerations into the CMP framework, it can help to ensure that nuclear projects are aligned with regional transmission expansion rather than confined to isolated national grids. This is particularly important for smaller economies that may not individually meet optimal grid thresholds but can participate in regional power pools.
In this sense, the AU functions as a systems integrator, ensuring that nuclear development is synchronised with transmission planning, regional markets, and long-term infrastructure sequencing.
What Nuclear-Exploring Countries Should Expect from the AU
For countries in the preparatory or exploratory stages of nuclear development, the AU could provide a structured support ecosystem. The potential of the AU in helping member states in the nuclear sector is significant. Below are some of the possibilities.
1. Diplomatic and Strategic Alignment
The AU offers a collective political platform. Through the AUC, member states can benefit from continental advocacy at international forums such as the UN General Assembly and the IAEA General Conference. This collective positioning strengthens Africa’s voice on the peaceful use of nuclear technology and reduces geopolitical isolation for newcomer states.
2. Legal and Regulatory Technical Support
In partnership with the IAEA, the AU can support member states in drafting nuclear legislation, establishing independent regulatory authorities, and ensuring compliance with international treaties. The AU’s coordinated frameworks help harmonise standards across the continent.
3. Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer
The AU’s partnerships with entities such as the IAEA enhance access to training, institutional benchmarking, and research collaboration. Member states can expect structured pathways for strengthening regulatory staff, policy advisors, and technical institutions. However, human capital development remains a national responsibility; the AU facilitates coordination rather than substitutes for domestic investment in expertise.
4. Continental Planning Integration
Through the CMP and AfSEM frameworks, nuclear projects can be aligned with regional grid planning. Countries should expect the AU to ensure that nuclear ambitions are embedded within continental energy integration strategies. This alignment enhances long-term project viability and supports cross-border electricity trade.
A Catalytic, Not Operational, Role
It is important to distinguish between endorsement and enablement. The AU does not build reactors. It does not select vendors or structure power purchase agreements. Its role is catalytic, providing governance coherence, diplomatic support, regulatory coordination, and infrastructure alignment. In doing so, it reduces systemic risk.
Moving Forward
Africa’s nuclear trajectory remains at an early but strategically important stage. With up to 15 GW of potential capacity by 2035 and multiple newcomer countries advancing preparatory steps, the scale of opportunity is substantial.
The AU’s contribution should lie in institutionalising that ambition of embedding nuclear energy within Agenda 2063, aligning it with continental grid integration frameworks, strengthening regulatory credibility, and fostering structured international cooperation.
In conclusion, the AU should step up its involvement in the African nuclear sector to go along with the growing appetite of some of its member states for the introduction of nuclear energy. As mentioned above, AU can be crucial for the successful implementation of nuclear energy in the continent; however, till now, the AU contribution is far from being enough.
This next phase will also depend on structured industry-government engagement. Platforms such as the Africa Nuclear Business Platform’s 5th edition (AFNBP 2026), scheduled for 21–23 April in Abuja, Nigeria, and hosted by the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, are set to play a pivotal role. By bringing together African policymakers, regulators, utilities, and global nuclear vendors, such forums help align procurement pathways, regulatory expectations, and investment frameworks at a continental level.
