Workforce development was consistently identified as a foundational element of a sustainable nuclear supply chain. Africa’s young and growing population was widely viewed as a strategic advantage in this regard. In some countries there was also a good supply of engineering graduates. At the same time, participants noted that discussions often focus on technology over people, despite the central role of people in sustaining nuclear programmes.
In the near term, many countries lack sufficient qualified personnel and will need to rely on foreign expertise for certain functions. This raised questions about how long such dependence should persist and how transitions toward domestic and regional capacity can be managed. Participants emphasised that workforce development strategies should therefore be explicitly linked to localisation and supply chain planning. In this regard, education was seen as necessary but insufficient on its own. Participants stressed the importance of practical training, apprenticeships, and on-the-job learning in building usable skills. Opportunities to involve non-nuclear industries early were highlighted as a way to begin localisation before reactor construction and to plant the seeds for future employment.
Preventing brain drain was identified as a critical challenge. Participants noted that training efforts must be accompanied by credible career pathways and employment opportunities if skilled personnel are to remain engaged domestically or regionally.