By: ESI Africa

During World Atomic Week in Moscow earlier this year, Ghana’s Deputy Director of Nuclear and Alternative Energy, Robert Sogbadji, told ESI Africa that nuclear energy has become a strategic priority to meet rising domestic and regional electricity demand.

"Ghana exports power within the sub-region, but we do not have enough affordable electricity to satisfy the increasing demand," Sogbadji explained.

He noted the country's heavy reliance on expensive gas-fired generation and largely tapped-out large-scale hydropower resources. Ghana is currently in Phase Two of the International Atomic Energy Agency's nuclear development milestones, focusing on vendor engagement and planning. The goal is to begin constructing a conventional large-scale nuclear plant around 2027, targeting connection to the national grid by 2035. To address supply needs in the interim, Ghana is considering deploying floating nuclear power plants.

Sogbadji identified financing as the major challenge and advocated for strategic private-sector partnerships, especially with energy-intensive industries, to secure long-term power purchase agreements and reduce costs.

Ghana's nuclear ambitions, which began in the 1960s, were revived in the early 2000s after severe power crises. Nuclear energy is now integral to the country's national energy policy and transition framework, building on earlier groundwork that included commissioning a research reactor in 1994.