In a new video interview, Professor Jo-Ansie van Wyk, this year’s holder of the Claude Ake Visiting Chair, explores the unequal costs and benefits of nuclear technology in Africa. From uranium mining to nuclear power generation, she examines how communities can bear the environmental and health risks of activities that benefit people elsewhere.

“What sparked my interest as a researcher is the power relations between the state, communities and the nuclear industry, and of course, the environmental injustice that often accompanies this power relationship,” says van Wyk.

Central to her research is the concept of necropolitics, developed by Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe. It examines how political power shapes not only the conditions in which people live, but also their exposure to death and suffering.

Van Wyk applies this perspective to what she calls nuclear sacrifice zones – communities exposed to radioactive contamination and other environmental hazards without necessarily sharing in the benefits of nuclear technology.

She points to communities affected by French nuclear weapons testing in Africa, uranium mining and radioactive waste disposal. In South Africa, she notes, people living near a nuclear waste site do not necessarily have access to the electricity generated by the industry whose waste they accommodate.

As nuclear energy gains renewed attention as a potential response to climate change and Africa’s energy shortages, van Wyk sees both opportunities and risks. Nuclear power could help address energy insecurity, but its high costs, long-term commitments and environmental consequences raise difficult questions for future generations.

The discussion also extends beyond nuclear energy. Van Wyk highlights how African countries export minerals needed for modern technologies while often depending on imported equipment and expertise.

Her research ultimately raises a broader question about technological progress and global inequality: who enjoys the benefits, and who bears the costs?