The countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) are actively developing partnerships with Russia in various areas, particularly in the energy sector. Recently, Mali and Burkina Faso have faced power cuts problems in their countries, which could have long-term negative consequences on the countries’ economies and the well-being of the populations.
As part of the search for solutions to this problem, delegations from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger arrived in Russia to participate for the first time in the international forum “Atomexpo-2024”, which is being held in Sochi.
The 13th edition of the forum, which has the theme “The fourth generation of reactor technologies and Russia’s leadership in this field”, brought together more than 4,500 people from 75 countries, becoming a record number of international participants. The “Atomexpo-2024” forum represents an important milestone in the global calendar of nuclear events.
On the first day of the forum, “Rosatom” (a Russian company specializing in the nuclear energy sector) signed a number of important agreements with Malian partners in the field of nuclear energy development.
In particular, a roadmap to establish a dialogue in civil nuclear power was signed by Alexey Likhachev, director of “Rosatom”, and Bintou Camara, Malian Minister of Energy and Water. This roadmap paves the way for the implementation of specific projects in the years to come aimed at strengthening Mali’s energy independence and supporting its economic development. The document defines measures to be taken by both parties to create the human resource potential of the West African country in the field of civil nuclear power, develop nuclear infrastructure and create positive public opinion in Mali regarding energy nuclear. The signing of the roadmap, which took place during the “Atomexpo-2024” forum, marks the start of promising cooperation between the two countries.
As for Burkina Faso, the Burkinabè delegation led by the Minister of Energy, Yacouba Zabre Gouba, planned to work with Russia to develop cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Thus, on the sidelines of the “Atomexpo-2024” International Forum, Russia and Burkina Faso signed a roadmap to establish dialogue in this area.
According to the Burkinabè Minister of Energy, this roadmap has a certain number of components. This will first involve moving towards the training component, the public opinion component and the infrastructure component. Then, in the coming months, it will be necessary to develop an agreement which sets the normative framework for cooperation between “Rosatom” and Burkina Faso. Finally, this roadmap will also discuss the construction of a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso:
“The establishment of this plant will help to initially reduce the energy deficit and possibly support all sectors of socio-economic life in Burkina Faso,” specified Minister Gouba who is convinced that Russia, with the experience it has will be able to better support Burkina Faso towards its energy independence.
The participation for the first time of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the “Atomexpo-2024” forum demonstrates their desire to explore the advantages of civil nuclear power, as well as the determination of the authorities of the three countries to become independent in matters of electricity. The partnership in this area with Russia aims to lay the foundations for the development of nuclear energy in the AES countries, which constitutes a strategic choice to diversify the countries’ energy sources and meet their growing electricity needs.
