The United States and Ghana formally launched
Africa’s first regional Clean Energy Training Center to support the development of civil nuclear energy programs across the continent.
The center will serve as a regional training hub for Ghana and other like-minded African countries considering nuclear energy as part of their economic development, energy security, and decarbonization goals.
Expanding Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Ghana and the United States are part of broader pledge to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
To further that goal, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s Nuclear Power Institute officially launched the region’s first Clean Energy Training Center in Accra, Ghana.
The training center builds upon previous work in the country, which included a virtual training program hosted by the United States that covered the fundamentals of civilian nuclear power programs ranging from project development and financing to nuclear security and national nuclear laws.
Through the training center, the United States will offer additional technical expertise and training with support from its nuclear industry, national laboratories, and academic institutions on topics such as workforce capacity building, reactor design and operation, and the management of spent nuclear fuel.
“This center will be a critical resource for Ghana and other African countries working to deploy nuclear technology to address energy challenges while contributing to sustainable development,” said Deputy Assist Secretary for International Cooperation Aleshia Duncan. “The center also symbolizes the United States continued commitment to knowledge sharing, ensuring like-mind countries have access to technical, regulatory, and workforce development resources to successfully launch, and more importantly sustain, nuclear programs.”
What’s Next?
DOE established the world’s first Clean Energy Training Center earlier this year in Poland to help jump-start the country’s domestic civil nuclear energy program.
The Department is requesting an additional $8 million in Fiscal Year 2025 funds to help establish similar hubs to support new and emerging nuclear energy programs in Africa, Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.
The Clean Energy Training Centers are led by the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Office of International Cooperation, which collaborates with international partners to support the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
DOE looks to build upon the appetite for nuclear energy across Africa with a second U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit focused on industry readiness.
The summit will be held in collaboration with Kenyan Nuclear Power and Energy Agency and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Kenya.
Source: https://www.energy.gov/