News and information

In the week of 13 to 17 December 2021, the IAEA organized the International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Radioactive Materials, designed to evaluate the prevailing conditions of the transport of nuclear and radioactive materials. More than 20 million shipments of such material occur globally per year, and a periodic survey of the situation is urgently needed to ensure proper governance of the transport systems, and to improve the regulatory framework and infrastructure for both safety and security. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the conference had to be carried out as a virtual event. But that allowed over 600 participants to attend, more than twice the number at the previous conference on the subject, held ten years ago. The audience comprised officials, policymakers and operational stakeholders responsible for transport safety and security, including technical support organizations, law enforcement and border control agencies. Representatives from industry and civil society, including from non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, also took part in the conference. In his opening remarks IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi recalled that when nuclear and radioactive materials are on the move they are most vulnerable and urged the participants to remain vigilant as the…

The Radiation Protection Authority and its counterparts in the radiation sector from Zimbabwe, and Congo DRC in collaboration with Software company and the International Science and Technology Centre hosted recently a virtual and physical training on the use of the web-based system for monitoring nuclear and radioactive materials during transport. A real tine exercise followed the training that took place from 15 to 26 November, 2021, in the pursuit of the objectives of the EU project MC5.01/15b Support to the Southern African States in Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, funded by the EU’s Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation. On 3 December 2021 a meeting of the participants was convened to take stock of the results and the lessons learned.   Related to the training activities, the project team organized an exercise to stimulate the transportation of uranium ore concentrate from country to country and to monitor step by step the provisions applied in the individual countries, at the border crossings. The exercise allowed also to assess the interaction at the regional level on how the monitoring system could be used to track the movements of Uranium Ore Concentrate  and other Radioactive Materials during transport. The exercise involved tracking of a consignment…

From 30 November to 3 December 2021 Fairview Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, hosted the 15th CBRN CoE National Focal Points Round-Table Meeting for Eastern and Central Africa, presided over by Mr. Joseph Maina, Head of the Secretariat. The meeting was opened by Ms Silvia Bottone, CBRN CoE Programme Manager for ECA, Foreign Policy Instrument, European Commission. It assembled  the National Focal Points of the participating 11 African countries, who also constitute the Steering Committee of the EU-funded Project 60 Support to the EU CBRN CoE ECA in Nuclear Security. The Round Table meeting made an overview of engagement with partners, and recent activities within the region. As Project P60 continues to be the flagship project of the ECA CoE due attention was attributed to it. The meeting was attended also by Mr. Louis Dey, EU Regional Cooperation Officer for Eastern and Central Africa, EU Delegation to Kenya, overseeing the project on behalf of the European Commission. Bojan Tomic, P-60 Team Leader, updated on the project status, and intended schedule for the post-pandemic period. He debriefed the NFPs on the completed activities, and on eventual need for expansion. One example is the Train-the –Trainer courses and their rollout through training for custom…

On 2 December 2021 the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) hold a webinar on nuclear energy in Africa focusing on governance, financing and peaceful uses.  The event was part of the SAIIA’s ‘Atoms 4 Development Project’, sponsored by the MFA of Norway.  It focuses on the nexus between nuclear security in securing global peace and the peaceful use of nuclear technology. In her opening remarks SAIIA’s Chief Executive Prof. Elizabeth Sidiropoulos noted that 17 African states have already expressed interest in nuclear energy: some have active nuclear research and development programs, while others are investigating the possibility of a nuclear build. Nuclear power is therefore expected to play an increasingly important role in improving energy supply and security and mitigating climate change on the African continent. Besides, several African states intend to use their uranium deposits for export revenues. Safety and security of new and existing nuclear programmes and uranium mining is paramount.  Against this background, the webinar surveyed the African continental nuclear institutions through a review provided by Prof Jo-Ansie van Wyk, University of South Africa (UNISA). Professor Van Wyk was invited lecturer during activities of the EU-funded, ISTC-managed project Support to Southern African States in Nuclear…

The Journal “Human. Energy. Atom” of the National Nuclear Center published its Fall issue 36 (2) 2021. Amongst several articles that bear relevance to the cooperation between ISTC and NNC, it features also the article entitled “Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Governance as a Foreign Policy Asset” It outlines the transfer of Kazakhstan’s experience in nuclear governance to external partners, especially to the ones that embark on the road to nuclear energy and other applications. In this vein NNC participates in the activity “Virtual visit to Kazakhstan’s nuclear sites and installations”, organized by NTSC and designed to share knowledge in uranium mining and transport with countries from the Southern African Development Community, under the EU project MC 5.01 15B, implemented by ISTC. The text of the article can be reached at: https://www.nnc.kz/media/hea/files/9fZRiUH0XR.pdf. The English text of the article could be retrieved from here

The 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (A / CPPNM) is the only international legal agreement that requires countries to protect nuclear materials and facilities in peaceful domestic use, storage and transport.  In March 2022, the IAEA will hold the Conference of the Parties to the Amendment. The States parties to the treaty are in the midst of preparations to review the A/CPPNM, as it is important for the participating countries to properly assess the adequacy of the treaty and share how they have been implementing it according to the prevailing situation. For this purpose, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the African Center for Science and International Security (AFRICSIS) organized a series of the workshop for Africa that began back in April of 2021. The second round of virtual meetings is scheduled for 29 November, 1 and 3 December 2021. ISTC participates in the meetings alongside with UNODC, AFCONE and other international organizations that are called upon to support African countries in their quest to develop realistic ways to review the A / CPPNM and consider how best to present their findings and observations in national statements at the review conference. ISTC has…

From 15 through 17 November 2021 ENCO conducts training for personnel of the nuclear regulator of the African countries, participating in the EU-funded ISTC managed Project 60, providing assistance in nuclear security matters. The three-day remote workshop is designed to introduce to the future African inspectors two of the major deliveries from Project 60, namely the Inspection Manual and Inspection Handbook for regulatory security assessments. The two publications were circulated in advance and African experts had the opportunity to discuss their content and recommendations at Q&A sessions, organized on 15th October and on 1st November 2021, via Webex. These preparatory meetings reflected the initial reactions by the targeted audience. For instance, Solomon Getachew, the Head of the Ethiopian regulator, stated the manual and the handbook are very well elaborated and the trainees will be well prepared to gain maximum knowledge and skills from the training course. On the basis of the feedback questions the ENCO P 60 Expert Team comprising Maja Boskovic, Vladimir Rukhlo, Igor Svyetlov and Sorin Repanovici, fine-tuned the well-structured and balances training program. On the opening the participants will be introduced to the international recommendations on legal and regulatory framework for security of radioactive material. They will…

On 29 October the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) it published Synchronising Nuclear Governance in SADC Member States Through Regional Cooperation, authored by Kamen Velichkov, ISTC SPM and DA. The Paper is based on findings, acquired throughout the implementation of the EU-funded Project MC 5.01 15B Support to the Southern African states in Nuclear Safety and safeguards. The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) is an independent public policy think tank advancing a well-governed, peaceful, economically sustainable and globally engaged Africa. The institute is organised under research programmes spanning economic diplomacy; governance and foreign policy; as well as natural resource governance in Africa. Some Projects, such as Atoms for Development, funded by the ISTC State Party Norway, aim to strengthen African nuclear governance to support the peaceful application of nuclear technology for Africa’s development. Amongst other publications SAIIA issues Occasional Papers as pieces of analytical work exploring particular issues. The focus of these papers is not overtly policy-related, although policymakers may find the detail useful. The SADC occasional paper may be found at: https://saiia.org.za/research/synchronising-nuclear-governance-in-sadc-member-states-through-regional-cooperation/

A major activity in the implementation of Project 60, the Regulatory Workshop, took place on line (WEBEX) on 27 and 28 October 2021.The aim of the Regulatory workshop was to follow up on the review of the laws are regulation of all of the participation countries, and to examine their appropriateness for the nuclear security provision.  The Workshop aimed to help African partners understand the comprehensiveness and complexity of the nuclear security regime, and to reflect these traits in the respective laws and regulations. The ENCO Experts’ presentations provided an overview of cross-cutting issues that are of relevance to all countries. Particular attention was paid to those aspects that we identified as weak points, and need to be addressed in order to establish an effective national nuclear security regime that communicates efficiently with other parts of the State’s security system (e.g. threat assessment). On the other hand, the national security legislation needs to comply with international non-proliferation standards (e.g. accounting and control of material, etc.). ENCO Senior Legal Expert Maya Boskovic provided a summary of generic gaps identified through the review of national nuclear security legislation of the P60 Partner countries and indicated possible ways for overcoming them. An array…

On 25 October 2021 the Accra International Conference Center, one of the most popular venues in Accra, next door to the Parliament of Ghana, opened its premises to receive more than a hundred participants in the Third African Youth Nuclear Summit (AYNS2021), convened simultaneously in-person and online. The Ghanaian Young Generation in Nuclear and the African Young Generation Nuclear (AYGN), host the event dubbed: “The impact of nuclear science and technology applications on economic recovery in Africa post COVID-19 pandemic”.AYNS2021 brings together young researchers and professionals across the continent, from the academia; nuclear research institutions, nuclear service providers, prospective and current operators as well as regulators to share, exchange ideas and network on issues related to nuclear science and technology.  An array of Ghanaian high ranking officials congratulated the participants at the opening session, headed by Jake Obeng-Bediako, the Presidential Coordinator for Youth Engagement and Strategy, and coming from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Nuclear Power Institute, etc. The statement on behalf of the Minister of Energy Hon. Matthew Opok re-iterated the resolve of the government to pursue nuclear component in the country’s energy mix. Several high-level officials from international organizations delivered welcoming remarks: Ms.…