Renewable sources are a priority for our system and the country in general, but we only sometimes know how to choose the right path of innovation. We have just learned that America has made the biggest mistake in its history: this is the energy that we have brought to Africa and that, exceeding all forecasts that had been made, could be catastrophic.
Seventy years of relying on this energy, it has never given us “good news.”
Emerging from a new cooperation treaty with Ghana, the United States has explored a plan for the introduction of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ghana. This decision is called a major positive development for the nuclear industry, yet it raises questions about risks and threats linked to nuclear cooperation with Africa.
The United States has a history of nuclear energy cooperation for several decades in some countries during the 1950s. They have been instrumental in shaping Nuclear Energy Programs in Relevant countries, particularly those relating to Safety, Security, and Non-proliferation.
However, the conditions of the nuclear energy marketplace in the international arena have altered considerably since those agreements were signed, and new challenges have emerged before the US achieved its goal of nuclear energy cooperation, though this is not a renewable or safe source.
America, to bring a new type of energy to Africa: it’s hazardous.
The deal with Ghana needs to be viewed as a part of the gradual movement of the United States toward the facilitation of nuclear energy generation in Africa. It refers to the handover of technology and capital, which will help Ghana to build its SMR technology.
It is established as safer and more efficient than the former nuclear power-generating reactors, and it has the potential to generate a significant source of clean energy in the country. This could be the perception regarding cooperation with Ghana, which points out the deal is another indication of nuclear energy cooperation.
As you may think now, this movement raises several questions about the dangers of nuclear energy cooperation with Africa. Africa is a continent with unstable political systems, which makes it possible for disasters to occur during the development and utilization of nuclear energy technology.
Consequences could be even worse (and now, not about the environment)
Some of the main issues that people have about nuclear energy cooperation with Africa are also the same issues that brought down the cooperation in earlier years, particularly the problems of proliferation. This is because most African countries have been experiencing political instability and slight conflicts.
Therefore, Nuclear materials could be easily stolen or supplied to the wrong hands to support its illicit activities. This could have grave implications for international security, as it possibly results in further nuclear proliferation. Do you understand where the problem is?
Moreover, a critical issue referring to the risks that further nuclear cooperation with Africa may lead to the proliferation of atomic weapons is mentioned. Currently, most African states are aspiring to commission their nuclear energy programs.
Such programs may be utilized in constructing other nuclear instruments, such as weapons. This could have severe implications for the security of the world as we might be heading towards a world where nuclear weapons will be manufactured all over.
Do you understand why nuclear energy cooperation will never be good news? Even if we take into account the progress America has made in the search for a safe source of this kind, the potential contamination of entire ecosystems is a reality we cannot ignore; hence, we are talking about the worst mistake we have ever made in our history, and we have highlighted various.
