“The continent must not settle for the role of customer,” Lassina Zerbo tells Rosatom

In Moscow, at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, Burkinabè scientist Lassina Zerbo led a session on the future of nuclear energy in Africa. The former prime minister of Burkina Faso urged African countries to move beyond simply building reactors and use nuclear energy to advance sustainable development. He endorsed the IAEA’s phased approach, including training engineers, regulators and technicians in advance, and called for regional cooperation so that no country proceeds alone. He said nuclear programs should support electricity access, healthcare, youth employment and African sovereignty, with cooperation with Rosatom serving the continent’s interests.