According to the state-run AIB news agency, Burkina Faso and Russia will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a nuclear power plant in the west African country.
The agreement will be the result of discussions Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the head of the Burkinabe military, made with Vladimir Putin in July in Moscow at the Russia-Africa summit.
“The MoU will be signed between Rosatom, the Russian federal atomic energy agency, and the Burkinabe ministry of energy, on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week 2023,” AIB said.
According to the International Energy Atomic Agency (IEA), only 20% of people in Burkina Faso have access to electricity, one of the lowest rates in the world.
Burkina Faso has turned to Russia for economic and military backing after experiencing disagreements with the majority of its traditional Western allies, including former colonial power France.
