By:BBC
Burkina Faso and Russia are on Friday due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the west African nation, according to the state-run AIB news agency.
The agreement will be a culmination of talks the Burkinabe military ruler, Capt Ibrahim Traore, had with Russian president Vladimir Putin in July during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.
“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,” the report further said.
Burkina Faso is one of the least electrified countries globally, with only about 20% of the population having access to electricity, according to the International Energy Atomic Agency (IEA).
Having fallen out with most of its traditional Western partners, including former colonial power France, Burkina Faso has turned to Russia for economic and military support.
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