Government to train over 2,000 scientists for Ghana's nuclear power programme – Ato Forson

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson

The government plans to train more than 2,000 scientists to develop local expertise as Ghana prepares to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has announced.

The initiative forms part of a broader programme to equip the country with the technical and institutional capacity required to develop a safe and reliable nuclear power plant under full state ownership.

Presenting the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, Dr Forson disclosed that the government would invest US$200 million in a 24-month nuclear-readiness programme scheduled to run from January 2027 to December 2028.

The programme is expected to complete critical preparatory activities and pave the way for the signing of an engineering, procurement, construction and financing contract for the proposed facility by December 2028.

However, the Finance Minister cautioned that the target date should not be mistaken for the commencement of electricity generation from nuclear power.

He explained that the period would be devoted to completing essential groundwork, including site studies, technology selection, environmental assessments, financing arrangements, licensing preparations, safeguards, emergency planning and the safety case required for the project's implementation.

“The nuclear power plant will remain a strategic national asset and will not be developed as an independent power producer. International partners will only provide technology, financing, engineering and specialist services.

“As part of our nuclear-readiness journey, government will train over 2,000 scientists to build local expertise to drive Ghana’s transition to safe and reliable nuclear power,” he said.

Dr Forson further emphasised that the proposed facility would remain entirely state-owned, with international partners expected to provide technical and financial support rather than operate the plant as independent power producers.

Meanwhile, the government is pursuing additional measures to improve efficiency in the electricity distribution sector.

These include the deployment of 2 million prepaid meters to reduce distribution losses and the full implementation of performance-based private-sector participation in electricity distribution by the end of 2027.