Russia and Ethiopia signed a deal Thursday to build a nuclear power plant in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country. Right now, South Africa is the only country in Africa with an operational nuclear power plant, but reactors are currently being constructed in Egypt.
The agreement between Russia and Ethiopia was signed by the CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Company, Ashebir Balcha, and Rosatom’s General Director, Aleksei Likhachev. The agreement includes
a “road map” for the project’s technical and economic foundation, as well as an intergovernmental agreement to move forward.
The deal further calls for staff training in plant operations and nuclear sector development….This comes as Russia accelerates several bilateral agreements with some African countries, significantly expanding its presence on the continent.
Just yesterday, a report went out detailing Russia’s plan to establish two nuclear facilities in Niger.
Niger’s Mining Minister Ousmane Abarchi disclosed the country’s intention to construct two 2,000-megawatt nuclear reactors in collaboration with Russia’s state-owned nuclear powerhouse, Rosatom.
A decade ago, uranium-rich Niger was the world’s most backward country, with the lowest literacy rate, and the lowest Human Development Index. Today, five other countries are even more backward than Niger, mainly due to civil war.
The world’s most backward country is oil-rich South Sudan. It became independent of Sudan in 2011 but soon plunged into an exceptionally violent civil war from 2013 to 2020 that massacred many civilians and shrank its economy by half. Today, its oppressive and tribalistic government embezzles most foreign aid, murders journalists and dissidents, and faces periodic rebellions from minority tribes.
The world’s second most backward country is Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991. Much of Somalia is plagued by anarchy, interclan violence, and/or terrorism.
