Moscow – South African Head Coordinator of the BRICS Nuclear Platform, Elsie Pule, has highlighted regional training centres and the involvement of women across the nuclear value chain.
She did so during a session earlier this week on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, titled “Nuclear Technologies in Africa: Gaining Momentum for the Future”.
The session took place in Moscow as part of the business programme of the Third Russia–Africa Summit.
The event was held with the support of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation.
The session was moderated by Chairman of the Board of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board and Advisor to the President of Rwanda, Lassina Zerbo.
Participants in the discussion included:
- Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev;
- Head Coordinator of the BRICS Nuclear Platform and Director of Special Projects for Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, Elsie Pule;
- Minister of Mines and Energy Resources of the Togolese Republic, Robert Koffi Messan Eklo;
- Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia, Tobie Aupindi; and
- Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mahmoud Esmat
Participants discussed the first steps in developing a nuclear industry, the use of national expertise and resources, and the challenges of implementing nuclear projects.
Speakers highlighted the role of nuclear technologies in ensuring a reliable energy supply and in advancing nuclear medicine, agriculture and science.
Alexey Likhachev noted that Rosatom operates in 29 of the continent’s 54 countries and that African partners are showing interest in nuclear power.
Particular attention was paid to floating nuclear power units
Following the signing of the world’s first export agreement for the supply of electricity from such units in Indonesia, Rosatom has seen significant interest in this technology from African countries.
Speakers also discussed the training of a new generation of specialists, including women and young people, for Africa’s nuclear industry.
“For African countries, nuclear technologies can become an effective tool for building national technological sovereignty: the ability to independently set development priorities, train their own specialists and master advanced industries,” stated Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev.
“This is comprehensive work that requires systematic cooperation, from workforce training and infrastructure development to large-scale projects worth billions of dollars.
“For us, working in Africa is, above all, a responsibility to people.
Head Coordinator of the BRICS Nuclear Platform and Director of Special Projects for Rosatom Central and Southern Africa Elsie Pule said: “There is no way we are going to achieve the ambitions we have globally on nuclear if we leave half of the population behind.
“There is no way we are going to succeed if we think women are just going to be relegated to smaller roles in the nuclear value chain.
“It is important that, from decision-making level to regulation level, and also in terms of skills, we start involving our women as the project starts.”
She also stressed the importance of building capacity at an early stage.
“Before you even start doing the nuclear projects, you need to start way before in terms of building your capacity,” Pule said.
“So we are looking at an opportunity in Africa in particular to create regional training centres where we can start looking at how we pool our resources together and build skills together in terms of preparing for the pipeline.”
Pule also noted that the youth programme Impact Team 2050, funded by Rosatom, has a strong representation of young people from the African continent.
She mentioned sessions in Egypt and South Africa where children from primary to high school learnt about the peaceful uses of nuclear technologies.
In 2026, the BRICS Nuclear Platform and Rosatom also ran the Atoms Empowering Africa video competition; around 12 winners from Africa visited Russia in June to attend a summer school.
The BRICS Nuclear Platform was established in 2024 to develop advanced practices and innovative approaches for the energy and non-energy peaceful uses of nuclear technology in BRICS countries and beyond.
Its members include South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) and Eskom, as well as Rosatom, China National Nuclear Corporation, and organisations from Brazil, Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran.
