Rwanda and Tanzania on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on energy sector cooperation covering power trade, energy infrastructure development, technical cooperation, capacity building, and investment promotion.

 

President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her host Paul Kagame witnessed the signing at the Kigali Convention Centre by Rwanda’s Infrastructure minister Jimmy Gasore and Tanzania’s Energy minister Deogratias John Ndejembi on the sidelines of the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa (Neisa).

“Energy is the backbone of development. It powers industries, supports businesses, enables digital transformation, improves social services, and enhances the quality of life of our citizens,” the minister said.

On May 3, President Kagame visited Tanzania and met with President Samia in Dar es Salaam, where they discussed a $2.5 billion electric standard gauge railway (SGR) linking the port of Dar es Salaam to Kigali and the energy cooperation, among other things.

At the meeting, both countries reaffirmed support for the 80MW Rusumo hydropower project -- also featuring Burundi. They also agreed to strengthen electricity trade between Tanesco and the Rwanda Energy Group to support industrial growth and regional energy integration.

Addressing the Neisa, President Samia said Africa's economic transformation depends fundamentally on reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy systems.“Across our continent, growing industrialisation, great globalisation, expanding nuclear infrastructure, and increasing demand for manufacturing and mining activities require civil-based load power capable of supporting long-term development. However, in considering future nuclear energy programmes, several important issues must be addressed collectively,” she told the summit.

She cited financing as a major challenge, but noted that even when it is available, the architecture is not suitable for African countries.“Africa needs innovative financing mechanisms, blending financial models and innovation capable of making nuclear projects profitable and accessible. Second is regulatory preparedness and institutional capacity, which are very essential. Third, public confidence and awareness is critical to allay fears of nuclear threats and legal opportunities.”She recalled the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration adopted at the Mission 300 African Energy Summit held in the Tanzanian commercial capital in January 2025, which brought together African leaders, development partners, financial institutions, and private sector supporters to advance the continent's energy agenda.

It further stated that no single energy solution can adequately address Africa's growing demand and therefore encouraged African countries to pursue “balanced and resilient energy strategies tailored to national circumstances.”“This discussion here in Kigali seamlessly complements the commitments made in Dar es Salaam by focusing on how emerging nuclear technologies can contribute to Africa's broader energy transition and long-term energy security. Nuclear energy should not be viewed as competing with renewable energy, but rather as a complementing broader effort to build a resilient, sustainable, and reliable energy system capable of supporting industrial transformation across our continent. Needless to say, this platform provides an important opportunity for Africa to move from ambition to implementation,” the Tanzanian leader said.

Tanzania is advancing nuclear energy as part of its long-term strategy to diversify its energy mix.

Dodoma has an ambitious national roadmap for nuclear power development for 1,200MW of nuclear capacity in the next decade, in alignment with Tanzania’s National Atomic Energy Agency's goals.“In furtherance of the energy generation systems, we are particularly interested in understanding the opportunities presented by emerging technologies such as small modular reactors and macro modular reactors, which are increasingly being considered globally as scalable, flexible, and potentially suitable solutions for developing countries,” President Samia said.

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