This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
On September 18, 2019, Uganda signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Russia to help the country build capacity to exploit nuclear technology for energy, medical, and other peaceful purposes.
The agreement, signed in Vienna, aims to develop Uganda's nuclear infrastructure and production of radioisotopes for industrial, healthcare, and agricultural use.
Uganda's energy needs are expected to increase in the coming years as the country prepares to start producing crude oil in 2022 from fields in its west, where reserves of 6 billion barrels were discovered in 2006.
Uganda has substantial deposits of uranium, but reserve estimates are not known as the mineral has not been commercially explored.
According to an emailed statement from Uganda's energy ministry, Russia's state corporation Rosatom will support Uganda's plans to develop the peaceful use of nuclear energy, particularly in nuclear power plant development.
