Russia has agreed to cooperate on developing a proposed 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Ghana, the country’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said on October 31. He said the understanding followed talks between Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Vladimir Putin on October 30. The announcement concerns plans for cooperation, not construction already underway.
One day earlier, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said it was holding talks on large nuclear projects with four African countries, including Ghana.
Ablakwa also announced an agreement to expand defense cooperation, including purchases of military equipment and other supplies for Ghana’s armed forces. Detailed terms of the deliveries were not presented.
According to the minister, Putin agreed to Ghana’s demand to prevent Ghanaian nationals from taking part in Russia’s war against Ukraine, including through informal recruitment or voluntary enlistment.
Ablakwa also listed grain production, fertilizer supplies, additional scholarships for Ghanaian students and the revival of a bilateral commission as planned areas of cooperation.