Ethiopia and Niger have become the latest African countries to partner with Russia on nuclear energy. They're seeking to increase and diversify their power generation capacities by building the first-ever nuclear power plants. Ethiopia and Russia agreed to work together on a nuclear energy roadmap and a construction plan. Niger and Russia will cooperate on the construction of two 2,000-megawatt nuclear plants. Niger also agreed to permit Russia to access and develop its uranium reserves. 

Around 600 million people lack access to reliable electricity in Africa. Aside from Ethiopia and Niger, 15 African countries are already cooperating with Moscow to try and change that. Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe have all signed key nuclear agreements with Moscow since 2020.