South Africa's nuclear energy spotlight: Leading the G20 conversation

WHAT do we want to show the world? Do we want to show that we are ready to embrace our energy-transition responsibilities and open Africa to the potential of nuclear energy, or are we going to continue neglecting to lead and simply follow?

- PROFESSOR BISMARK TYOBEKA

On 9 October, South Africa will take centre stage in the global energy conversation when the Department of Electricity and Energy co-hosts the 2025 G20 Nuclear Energy Ministerial Conference in partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Are we ready for this responsibility?

I will be serving as both programme director and moderator during discussions that will examine the opportunities and challenges of scaling up nuclear deployment, advancing technology, and ensuring readiness for implementation.

This is our moment to prove that South Africa is not merely part of the global conversation but capable of leading it. The future will not wait for those who hesitate.

The G20 spotlight must not be used to appease, but to act. It must serve as a platform to demonstrate how South Africa can transform international attention into practical progress by leveraging the summit to align our energy ambitions with the urgent realities of water security and environmental resilience.

Nuclear policy cannot stand apart from these; it must be embedded within them. Never before has it been more critical to recognise how our essential resources - energy, water, and the environment - are interconnected.