Two students from the University of Rwanda have been recognised among winners of the 2026 Atoms Empowering Africa Video Contest, a competition organised by Russian energy company Rosatom in partnership with the BRICS Nuclear Platform. The students, Ange Fanny Uwera and Kelia Raissa Akaliza, were selected among participants in the competition that promotes youth engagement in nuclear science and technology. ALSO READ: What's next after Rwanda, Russia sign nuclear energy deal? Uwera is an Applied Physics student at the University of Rwanda and President of NiCE (Nuclear is Clean Energy) Club Rwanda, while Akaliza is a Physics major and Outreach Leader at the same club. .@Uni_Rwanda students Uwera Ange Fanny and Akaliza Kelia Raissa have been recognized among winners of the Atoms Empowering Africa Video Contest 2026, an international competition organized by @RosatomGlobal in partnership with BRICS Nuclear Platform, to promote youth engagement... pic.twitter.com/O2ZmroAFnl — Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB) (@RAEB_Rwanda) July 10, 2026 The contest invites young Africans to submit short videos exploring how nuclear technologies can contribute to sustainable development across the continent. Participants were required to address one of five themes, including the role of nuclear energy in the future of BRICS countries, how nuclear technologies improve people’s lives, youth involvement in nuclear development, the role of cities and regions in nuclear cooperation, and the vision of the BRICS Nuclear Platform towards 2030. The competition is open to citizens of African countries aged between 18 and 35 years, including students, young professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs and other innovators interested in science, technology and sustainable development. Entries are evaluated based on criteria such as originality of ideas, clarity of presentation and the relevance of proposed solutions to participants’ regions. ALSO READ: Who will finance Rwanda's first small nuclear reactor? The contest has been held since 2017, with the aim of engaging young professionals across Africa in conversations about the peaceful applications of nuclear technologies. In the 2025 edition, the competition received 50 applications, with 13 winners selected from six African countries, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, DR Congo, Burundi and Namibia. The winners travelled to Russia, where they visited nuclear science and technology institutions, including the Rosatom Technical Academy in Obninsk and the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, as well as participating in cultural activities. This comes as Rwanda has accelerated efforts to build capacity in nuclear science and technology in preparations for a nuclear energy programme, with plans to have its first small modular reactor (SMR) operational in the early 2030s. The country has also been investing in developing a pipeline of nuclear energy experts. Through the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB) and UR, training programmes in nuclear science and technology have been introduced to equip students with skills needed for various nuclear applications. Rwanda has signed multiple agreements with governments and nongovernmental agencies with experience in nuclear energy technologies. These include the United States and France as well as companies like Rosatom.
