The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, in partnership with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), is organizing the third U.S.–Africa Nuclear Energy Summit (USANES) on Human Resource Development, to be held August 19–21, 2026, in Accra, Ghana. The Summit will be hosted under the auspices of the Ghana Regional Energy Training Centre (RETC) and builds on the momentum of USANES 2023 and 2024, held in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya, respectively.

Background:

As countries across Africa move from planning to deploying civil nuclear power, the biggest determinant of long-term success will depend not just on technology – but on people. USANES 2026 recognizes human capital as strategic national infrastructure, and that a skilled, well-trained workforce is essential to every part of a nuclear power program, from regulation and operations to financing, supply chains, and public engagement.

Strategic Objectives:

• Make workforce development a national priority across energy, education and industry.
• Build end-to-end talent pipelines, from STEM to advanced nuclear skills.
• Leverage technical and vocational training systems to deliver job-ready technical talent.
• Strengthen regulatory capacity.
• Develop and advance digital capabilities (AI, cybersecurity, etc).
• Advance leadership and succession planning for long-term credibility.

Program Highlights:

• The Summit will span three days and be organized into two parts:
• Plenary Session (August 19–20): High-level keynote addresses, ministerial dialogues, and roundtable discussions focused on human resource development and its alignment with U.S. and African strategic nuclear energy priorities.
• Technical Workshop (August 21): Deploying Nuclear in the AI Era: Rethinking the Workforce

Participation:

USANES 2026 will convene senior government officials, including ministers and leaders of nuclear energy programs and regulatory authorities, alongside U.S. government representatives, international organizations, industry executives, and academic institutions. By bringing together these stakeholders, the Summit will serve as a coordinated platform to explore policy, regulatory frameworks, workforce development systems, and industry requirements across the continent.

Opportunity:

USANES 2026 provides an opportunity to advance from strategic dialogue to implementation. The Summit will support the development of practical, scalable approaches to workforce development, strengthen U.S.–Africa civil nuclear cooperation, and align human capital investments with near-term deployment priorities. In doing so, it will contribute to reducing project risk, strengthening institutional capacity, and enabling the sustained expansion of nuclear energy as a driver of energy security and economic growth.