If Ghana is serious about becoming an industrial economy, it may need to look beyond short-term power solutions and follow countries that have used nuclear energy to provide the reliable, large-scale electricity needed to power industry.
From manufacturing and aluminium processing to mineral refining, industrial economies depend on stable power to keep factories running and production costs under control. Dr. Archibold Buah-Kwofie, Director of the Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), believes Ghana must draw lessons from that experience as it develops its own nuclear power programme.
For him, nuclear energy is not simply about adding another source to Ghana’s electricity mix. It is about securing dependable and competitively priced power to transform the economy.
“Nuclear power is not about bombs. It is about powering industries, creating jobs and making economies competitive,” he said.
His argument comes as Ghana prepares to host the 2026 US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit in Accra under the theme “Building and Sustaining Africa’s Nuclear Workforce.” He wants the discussion to focus on a bigger question: what kind of power system does Ghana need to industrialise?
His answer includes nuclear.
Power remains an industrial bottleneck
Ghana has spent years pursuing manufacturing, mineral processing and value addition, but the cost and reliability of electricity remain major constraints.
“No country has industrialised without adequate, reliable and affordable power,” Dr. Buah-Kwofie said.
He pointed to VALCO as an example. The aluminium smelter cannot operate at full capacity because supplying all the electricity it needs would put significant pressure on the national power system.
“If VALCO were to receive all the power it needs, a large section of Ghana would be in darkness,” he said.
He estimates that VALCO would require about 500 megawatts, highlighting the difficulty Ghana faces if it wants to expand heavy industry without compromising electricity supply to households and other businesses.
Aluminium needs cheap power
The challenge is particularly important as Ghana seeks to build an integrated aluminium industry through the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC).
Moving from bauxite exports to domestic processing and value addition will require large amounts of electricity.
“Nuclear can complement the country’s industrial ambitions because industries like aluminium processing require large volumes of cheap power,” Dr. Buah-Kwofie said.
The problem is already being felt by manufacturers. He said electricity accounts for roughly 40% of production costs for many manufacturers, based on concerns raised by members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).
“Forty per cent is substantial. It makes Ghanaian manufacturers less competitive,” he said.
That matters even more under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), where Ghanaian manufacturers must compete with producers from countries with potentially lower energy costs.
South Korea offers the bigger lesson
For Ghana, South Korea offers perhaps the clearest example of how nuclear power can support industrialisation.
South Korea built its nuclear industry alongside its wider economic transformation, developing expertise in engineering, manufacturing, technology, construction and nuclear services.
The lesson for Ghana is that nuclear power can go beyond generating electricity. It can help create skills, businesses and industrial capacity around the technology.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) offers another useful example. As a relatively new entrant to nuclear power, the UAE successfully constructed and operates a commercial nuclear plant, demonstrating that countries can build the regulatory, technical and human-capital capacity needed to operate nuclear programmes.
Ghana does not have to replace hydro, gas or renewable energy with nuclear. Instead, nuclear could provide a stable base alongside those sources as electricity demand increases.
Summit comes at a critical time
The US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit comes at an important point for Ghana’s nuclear ambitions.
Its focus on building Africa’s nuclear workforce highlights the engineers, scientists, technicians and regulators needed to develop and operate nuclear programmes safely.
For Ghana, however, the opportunity is also economic. A nuclear industry would require investment in skills, regulation, infrastructure and technology, while creating opportunities for local professionals and businesses.
For Dr. Buah-Kwofie, that is why Ghana’s nuclear conversation must be tied to industrialisation.
The country is not simply looking for another source of electricity. It needs the power system to support the next stage of economic development.
If Ghana wants to process its own minerals, manufacture more goods and compete in regional markets, the experience of countries such as South Korea offers a clear lesson: reliable and affordable power has to be at the heart of the industrialisation strategy.
