Activists Protest African Nuclear Expansion at COP31 Summit

Climate activists and advisors protested the expansion of nuclear energy across Africa during the COP31 United Nations climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye. Led by representatives from the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute and the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, the group warned that nuclear power involves prohibitive upfront costs, long construction timelines, and enduring pollution risks from radioactive waste.

Amos Wemanya, a senior climate advisor at Power Shift Africa, argued that nuclear energy is too slow to deploy to meet the continent's immediate energy needs. Other critics noted that nuclear projects often benefit corporations and data centers rather than local populations, with some highlighting the exploitation of indigenous lands for uranium mining.

While South Africa remains the only African nation with a commercial nuclear plant, the government plans to procure more capacity by 2039. Other nations considering nuclear options include Togo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, and Ghana. In Egypt, the Russian state corporation Rosatom is currently constructing the El Dabaa plant. Protesters urged leaders to instead prioritize solar and wind energy, which they describe as cheaper and more effective for off-grid communities.