By Ing. Alex Kwaku Tio | Senior Engineer, Atkins Realis UK | Nuclear Energy Specialist
I want to take a moment to share something that genuinely excited me both as an engineer and as a Ghanaian.
Recently, the former Vice President of our beloved country, Ghana and the Flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia delivered a keynote lecture at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Unifying Borders in Africa.” I had the unique opportunity to attend the program and I have to say this is exactly the kind of bold, informed and forward-looking conversation that Africa needs to be having right now. I work as a Senior Engineer with Atkins Realis here in the United Kingdom, specialising in nuclear energy. My day to day activities involves some of the most advanced and technically demanding engineering work in the world. So when I say this lecture spoke to me on a professional level, I mean it sincerely.
Digitalisation First — Then Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Dr. Bawumia made a point that stuck with me, Africa cannot simply leap into Artificial Intelligence (AI) without first building a strong digitalisation foundation. He drew a clear and important distinction between the two that is digitalisation being the bedrock and artificial intelligence being the next layer built upon it. He is absolutely right. Countries on the continent that are behind in digitalisation must treat catching up not as optional, but as urgent national priority. He also proposed six concrete policy commitments to advance Africa’s AI agenda and called on the continent to stop being a passive consumer of technology to become instead a builder of responsible AI systems that reflect African values, languages and development priorities. That vision resonated with me deeply.
The Energy question nobody is asking loudly enough
But I want to push this conversation one step further, because there is a dimension to Africa’s AI ambitions that is not being discussed loudly enough and that is energy. Data centres which happens to be the physical backbone of any serious AI infrastructure are among the most energy hungry facilities on the planet. The servers, the cooling systems, the networking equipment and all of it runs continuously and demands vast, reliable power. If Africa is serious about building and hosting AI systems on the continent, we cannot do that without a dependable, clean and scalable energy source behind it. This is not a secondary concern. It is foundational.
The Case for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
This is where I believe Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) must enter the conversation.
SMRs are compact, advanced nuclear reactors that are significantly smaller than conventional nuclear power plants, faster to construct and engineered to deliver consistent, high-density, low-carbon energy output. Unlike solar or wind, which are intermittent and weather-dependent, SMRs provide stable baseload power around the clock. They can be sited close to the facilities they serve, including data centres and they scale in a way that traditional grid infrastructure in many African countries simply cannot match today. The synergy between SMR technology and data centre infrastructure is compelling. A well-sited SMR can power an entire data centre campus with clean, reliable energy which will be independent of an unstable national grid, without the carbon footprint of diesel generators and without the fuel import dependency that comes with gas. This is the kind of infrastructure pairing that does not just support Africa’s AI ambitions but makes them viable.
Train the Engineers Now
My call to action is straightforward: Africa needs to begin training engineers in SMR technology now. Not in ten years but now. The countries and institutions that build this technical capacity today will be the ones positioned to deploy this energy infrastructure tomorrow and host the data centres that power the continent’s AI future. Universities, polytechnics and professional bodies across Africa must begin incorporating nuclear engineering specifically SMR systems into their curricula and continuing professional development programmes. Governments must create the enabling policy environment. And the private sector must be willing to invest.
Dr. Bawumia proposed six commitments at LSE to drive Africa’s AI agenda. I would humbly suggest a seventh: invest deliberately in the energy infrastructure including SMR capability that will make those commitments physically possible on the ground.
A Defining Moment
We are living through an inflection point. The window to shape Africa’s role in the global AI landscape is open right now and it will not remain open indefinitely. Dr. Bawumia’s presence at LSE and the substance of his lecture signal that there are leaders on this continent who truly understand the moment we are in. It is now on engineers, policymakers, academics and the private sector to match that ambition with action. As someone who works at the frontier of energy technology every day, I feel a responsibility to say this clearly, the technology exists, the knowledge exists and the urgency is real. Let us not allow this moment to pass us by.
