President John Dramani Mahama has secured six commitments from Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy, defence, agriculture, education and security, following high-level discussions on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.

The outcomes include Russian support for Ghana’s ambition to establish a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant, cooperation in acquiring strategic military equipment, increased agricultural collaboration, additional scholarships for Ghanaian students and an agreement to prevent Ghanaians from participating in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The two leaders have also agreed to revive the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC), with Russia expected to host the next meeting in the coming weeks.

The proposed nuclear power project is among the most significant outcomes of the engagement, as Ghana seeks to diversify its energy mix, improve electricity reliability and provide the power required to support industrialisation.

A statement outlining the bilateral discussions said Russia had agreed to work with Ghana towards establishing the 2,000MW nuclear power plant, renewing the country’s longstanding ambition to introduce nuclear energy into its electricity generation system.

President Mahama subsequently announced that Ghana had initiated discussions with the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Rosatom, towards establishing the country’s first nuclear power station.

Addressing the Third Russia-Africa Forum in Moscow, he stressed that inadequate electricity supply remained one of the major constraints to Africa’s development, arguing that industrialisation could not be achieved without reliable and affordable energy.

“We have initiated discussions with Rosatom on the establishment of Ghana’s first nuclear power station,” he said, adding that Russia had a comparative advantage in nuclear technology and renewable energy, creating opportunities for cooperation that could deliver tangible development outcomes.

The President said a partnership with Russia would build on the historical relationship between the two countries in the peaceful application of nuclear technology.

He recalled that the Soviet Union provided Ghana with a two-megawatt nuclear reactor in 1964 for scientific research, while several Ghanaian nuclear scientists received training in Russia to operate the facility.

Ghana’s nuclear ambition is also associated with the vision of the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, whose administration began preparatory work towards developing nuclear research capacity before the February 1966 coup.

The proposed power station would provide baseload electricity to complement Ghana’s existing hydropower and thermal generation sources, as demand rises with population growth and industrial expansion.

Beyond energy, President Mahama secured a defence cooperation arrangement intended to support Ghana’s acquisition of strategic military equipment to strengthen the operational capabilities of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The agreement is expected to deepen military cooperation between the two countries, although the specific equipment and implementation arrangements were not detailed in the statement.

Agriculture also featured prominently in the discussions, with both countries expected to expand cooperation in grain production and improve Ghana’s access to fertilisers.

The collaboration is aimed at strengthening domestic food production and reducing vulnerabilities in the country’s food supply, particularly through improved agricultural productivity and access to essential inputs.

In education, Russia agreed to increase scholarship opportunities for Ghanaian students seeking to pursue higher education in the country.

The statement said Ghana was currently ranked second among African countries in terms of the number of students studying in Russia.

The proposed expansion of scholarships is expected to widen educational opportunities and further strengthen academic links between the two countries.

A particularly significant outcome concerned the involvement of Ghanaians in the Russia-Ukraine war, an issue President Mahama reportedly raised during his discussions with Putin.

Following the concerns expressed by the Ghanaian leader, the Russian President is said to have declared that Ghanaians would no longer be permitted to participate in the conflict, whether through irregular recruitment arrangements or voluntary enlistment.

The commitment addresses concerns over the involvement of foreign nationals in the conflict and forms part of the broader security dimension of the bilateral engagement.

The sixth commitment involves the revival of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation, the principal bilateral framework for coordinating and advancing relations between Ghana and Russia.

Russia is expected to host the next meeting of the commission in the coming weeks, providing an avenue for the two governments to translate the latest commitments into concrete programmes and agreements.

Ghana and Russia have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1958, with cooperation spanning several areas of economic, educational, scientific and strategic interest.

The latest engagement represents an effort by the Mahama administration to strengthen those longstanding ties and expand cooperation in sectors considered critical to Ghana’s development priorities.

For Ghana, the proposed nuclear power partnership, in particular, could mark a significant step towards reviving an ambition that dates back to the early years of independence, although the discussions with Rosatom and the broader Russian commitment will have to progress into detailed technical, financial and implementation arrangements before the project can be realised.