The first Rwandan businesses to benefit from nuclear power may not build a reactor. They could be the companies preparing its site, transporting heavy equipment or supplying concrete and electrical systems.
But to win that work, they will first have to meet the nuclear industry’s strict safety and quality standards.
That is the central message of a 212-page Nuclear Industrial Localization Roadmap released by the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board on X at 10:39 a.m. today.
Developed with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and technical support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the report sets out how local companies could gradually join the supply chain for Rwanda’s planned small modular reactors.
Nuclear power is an established part of the global energy system. At the end of 2024, 417 reactors were operating worldwide, with a combined capacity of 377 gigawatts.
But Africa’s experience is much more limited: South Africa is currently the continent’s only nuclear power producer, while Egypt is building its first nuclear power plant, with four reactors planned at El Dabaa.
Rwanda’s ambition is striking by international standards. The roadmap says the country aims for nuclear power to supply 60 to 70 per cent of its electricity by 2050.
If achieved, that would be comparable to the share nuclear supplied in France in 2024, when it generated about 67 per cent of the country’s electricity.
The Rwanda Energy Group reported that national generation capacity reached 467 megawatts by the end of 2025, and is projected to rise to 1,066 megawatts by 2034. Household electricity access reached 85.4 per cent.
Small modular reactors are also part of an evolving global market. In its 2025 projections, the International Atomic Energy Agency estimated they could account for between 5 and 24 per cent of new nuclear capacity added by 2050, depending on the growth scenario.
That wide range underlines that Rwanda’s plans depend partly on a technology whose global deployment is still developing.
The first opportunities for Rwandan firms are more practical than building reactors: site preparation, construction, logistics and conventional electrical work.
A local contractor, for example, might begin by preparing a site or building supporting facilities. To take on more specialised work, it would need stronger quality controls, careful records and staff trained to nuclear standards.
The most sensitive reactor components would still come from experienced international suppliers.
A survey of 28 Rwandan organisations found that 60 per cent export within East Africa, and all said they were open to joint ventures or working with international nuclear suppliers.
The report’s readiness assessment ranked construction and installation highest, with a score of 0.5013, followed by logistics and supply chains at 0.3486.
Manufacturing and specialised technical services face larger gaps, including a shortage of nuclear engineering skills and weak systems for tracing materials.
The report says no sector currently meets the standard of a fully nuclear-capable supplier.
The scores offer a snapshot of the organisations surveyed, not a guarantee that individual firms are ready to supply a nuclear project.
Companies will need to build their skills and quality systems while meeting the safety standards such work demands.
There is also a risk that the programme could add pressure to an already busy construction market. The roadmap notes that iron bar prices rose from Rwf 14,000 to Rwf 27,000 in 2025.
It says Rwanda should expand local production for future nuclear projects rather than diverting cement and steel from other construction work and driving prices higher.
RAEB Chief Executive Dr Fidele Ndahayo writes that, “if approached strategically and collaboratively,” nuclear industrial participation can create jobs and support technology transfer and industrial upgrading.
The roadmap recommends a national register of qualified suppliers, specialised training and joint ventures that give Rwandan firms a path into project contracts.
It also identifies major tasks ahead, including completing a national nuclear law and developing a financing strategy.
The first commercial small modular reactor is expected to operate in the early 2030s, according to the roadmap.
That remains a target. Reaching it will depend on financing, regulation, supplier development and careful project execution.
Editorial note: The report’s page 195 table appears to mismatch some sector scores and readiness-level ranges. This story uses the sector rankings and scores reported elsewhere in the document.
