Russia to help Uganda develop nuclear energy
Uganda's Energy Minister, Ms Irene Muloni and Mr Nikolai Spasskiy, the Deputy Director General of ROSATOM (Russia) on September 18, 2019 signed an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) on Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes. Image source: Ministry of Energy
Russia and Uganda have agreed to work together in the field of nuclear energy, the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom said Wednesday, as Moscow seeks to strengthen its influence in Africa.
Russia's state-owned companies have been at a key part of the strategy to bolster Moscow's presence on the continent.
President Museveni is seeking to use Uganda’s uranium deposits to develop nuclear power.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday by a Rosatom representative and Ugandan Energy Minister Irene Muloni on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference in Vienna.
The deal "lays the foundation for specific cooperation between Russia and Uganda" in the field of nuclear energy, Rosatom said.
It also paves way for working together in "the creation of nuclear energy infrastructure, the production of radioisotopes for industry, medicine, agriculture, as well as the training of personnel."
Rosatom said the parties had agreed to organise visits by specialists in the "near future".
Moscow first signed a memorandum of understanding with Kampala in this area in 2017, ahead of Beijing, which signed a similar agreement in 2018.
