Russia is expanding its nuclear footprint…this time in Rwanda.
As President Paul Kagame faces growing Western pressure and sanctions over the situation in eastern DR Congo, reports indicate that Russian state giant Rosatom has finalized a deal to build Rwanda’s first nuclear power plant.
· Rwanda signed a broader nuclear cooperation agreement with Rosatom back in 2019, covering infrastructure, research, and workforce training.
· The proposed plant is expected to be a small modular reactor (SMR) , not a large traditional facility…making it faster to deploy and cheaper to maintain.
· Rwanda aims to achieve upper-middle-income status by 2035, and nuclear power is seen as key to closing its energy gap and stabilizing the grid.
· The deal includes Russia training Rwandan nuclear scientists and engineers, deepening long-term technical and political ties.
· This move follows similar Russian nuclear partnerships with Egypt, Nigeria, and Zambia…signaling a broader Moscow strategy across Africa.
With Washington backing Kinshasa and imposing sanctions on Kigali, is Putin using nuclear diplomacy to pull Kagame further from the West ?