The United States of America has made a further commitment towards supporting Africa’s effort towards transitioning to cleaner energy with the establishment of a $1.75 million training center in Ghana.

According to the U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, Ann Gazer, the training simulator will support workforce development across the region.

She made this announcement when she joined Ghanaian counterparts on Wednesday, September 13, to reveal further U.S. support for establishing Ghana as a Small Modular Nuclear Reactor (SMR) Regional Training Hub and center of excellence for the sub-Saharan African region.

“I want to take a moment and highlight an exciting new announcement that further our partnership. Today, I am pleased to announce a new U.S. commitment of financial and technical support for establishing Ghana as a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Regional Training Hub and center of excellence for the sub-Saharan African region,” announced Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ganzer at a two-day FIRST Regional Conference on Civil Nuclear Energy Development in Accra, Ghana.

Ann Gazer explained that the $1.75 million in funding will support Ghana's nuclear workforce development, including the provision of an SMR control room simulator, university partnerships, and academic exchanges to position Ghana to serve as a regional training hub for nuclear power technicians and operators.

She added that through this partnership, Ghana will be positioned to develop a skilled nuclear workforce for the region consistent with the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation.

"This new commitment will support Ghana in establishing a Small Modular Reactor Regional Training Hub and center of excellence for the sub-Saharan African region. With this support, Ghana will be positioned to develop a skilled nuclear workforce for the country and the region consistent with the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation. This partnership will assist Ghana and other like-minded countries in the region in moving towards clean, affordable, safe, and secure energy sources," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ganzer.

This project is supported by the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) capacity building program, in which Ghana has participated since 2022.

In a press statement released after the first day of the two-day conference, the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of SMR Technology explained that FIRST supports Ghana's leadership in the region on moving towards SMR deployment, consistent with the highest international standards for security, safety, and non-proliferation, and its development of a skilled nuclear workforce to achieve decarbonization and energy security goals.

“Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation hosted a high-level delegation from Ghana and Kenya to visit U.S. national laboratories and operating nuclear power plants to strengthen our partnerships, with support by the FIRST Program. Both Kenya and Ghana have been outstanding FIRST program partners in the sub-Saharan African region and continue to receive support in the form of training, technical collaboration, and capacity-building activities.

“This announcement is another step in the U.S. commitment to deepen U.S. Ghana civil nuclear cooperation and support Ghana's goal of being a first mover in Africa, as announced at the 2022 International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Power Ministerial Conference in Washington. U.S. support to Ghana includes technical assistance, professional training exchanges, and regulatory framework collaboration.

The United States is committed to supporting the use of innovative clean energy technologies to power global decarbonization efforts and providing options to achieve net zero transition in hard-to-abate energy sectors,” the statement indicated