For Samuel Nkoom, a final-year student of Accra Technical University (ATU), nuclear energy was once something he mostly associated with reactors and complex science.
A session organised by the U.S. Embassy in Accra changed that.
“I think it’s my first time hearing that there’s nuclear energy that can transform energy to electricity for the country’s use, among other uses,” he said after attending a nuclear energy session organised on the eve of the third U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit (USANES).
The session, titled “Freedom 250: Advancing Sustainable Nuclear Energy: A Journalist’s Perspective,” brought together students and other participants to discuss what nuclear energy could mean for Ghana and the wider world.
For Nkoom, the conversation was particularly relevant because of Ghana’s continuing electricity challenges.
“That’s the problem we are facing in Ghana when it comes to electricity,” he said.
He said the session helped him understand that while building a nuclear power plant requires substantial investment, the cost of generating electricity once the plant is operational can be relatively low and the facility can provide power for decades.
His message to Ghana’s policymakers was therefore direct.
“I’ve learned here is to speak up, to ensure that our authorities, the people at the helm of affairs, and the government especially, will take nuclear energy seriously, as the crisis we are facing in electricity is high in the country.”
From nuclear power to everyday development
The presentation by Albert Oppong Ansah, a Science, Energy and Environmental Reporter at the Ghana News Agency (GNA), sought to broaden that understanding.
Drawing on visits to nuclear facilities across Japan, the United States and Austria, Ansah argued that sustainable nuclear energy is about more than producing electricity.
It can contribute to affordable and clean energy, better healthcare, food security, clean water, climate action, industrial development and jobs.
That places nuclear energy across several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy, SDG 3 on good health, SDG 2 on zero hunger, SDG 6 on clean water, SDG 13 on climate action, SDG 9 on industry and innovation, and SDG 8 on decent work.
For Ghana, the argument is particularly relevant as the country looks for reliable electricity to support manufacturing, mineral processing and other productive activities.
What a nuclear plant looks like up close
Ansah’s experience in Japan gave him a closer look at what operating a nuclear facility actually involves.
He visited nuclear power facilities and studied lessons from the Fukushima disaster, paying particular attention to the safety systems and culture built around nuclear operations.
Inside the facilities, he observed multiple layers of security, radiation monitoring, digital control rooms, constant inspections and strict worker discipline.
But his biggest lesson was not about the technology itself.
“Technology alone does not make nuclear safe. People do.”
For Ghana, that distinction is important.
A nuclear programme requires not only a plant, but people who understand the technology, follow procedures and maintain a culture where safety is treated as part of everyday work.
Why countries are returning to nuclear
Ansah said his visits also helped him understand why nuclear power is once again receiving attention globally.
Three developments are changing energy policy: climate change, energy security and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
Countries are looking for reliable electricity while also trying to reduce emissions. At the same time, the growing use of data centres and AI is expected to increase demand for electricity.
The United States, he noted, is pursuing an aggressive nuclear strategy, including interest in advanced reactors and small modular reactors.
At the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Austria, his observations also covered nuclear financing and global nuclear governance, including issues arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ghana is moving, but slowly
Ghana has already completed Phase One of the IAEA nuclear power development framework, which involved assessing the country’s readiness.
The country is now in Phase Two, where work includes selecting a preferred nuclear technology and site.
International partnerships are also continuing, with Ghana targeting the operation of its first nuclear power plant in the 2030s.
But Ansah noted that the process is moving slowly.
One concern is the need to strengthen Ghana’s institutional framework, particularly the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO), the apex body responsible for coordinating the nuclear power programme.
Nkoom echoed that concern.
According to him, reconstituting the GNPPO is necessary to keep the programme moving.
“It is our appeal that the government looks at that direction, and then help the reconstitution of that body, so that the rest of the processes can continue,” he said.
He also questioned whether Ghana’s relatively long experience with nuclear research should give the public greater confidence in the country’s ability to pursue nuclear power.
From the classroom to the national conversation
For students such as Nkoom, the session offered something beyond technical knowledge.
It gave them a clearer picture of where nuclear energy fits into Ghana’s development plans and why young professionals will eventually have a role to play in the sector.
His experience also illustrates why the workforce question is becoming central to Ghana’s nuclear ambitions.
The country will need engineers, technicians, scientists, regulators, policymakers and other professionals who understand not only nuclear technology but also the responsibility that comes with operating it.
As the U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit gets underway in Accra, Nkoom’s message is that the nuclear conversation should not remain confined to experts and government officials.
Young people, he believes, need to understand what is at stake and speak up about the kind of energy future they want Ghana to build.
