5 May 2018. Prof. Geoffrey Emi-Reynolds, a member of the Ghana National CBRN Team and former director general of Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority, participated recently at an event, convened by the EU Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva and dedicated to the management of the full-life cycle of radioactive sources. In line with the event’s main theme “Benefits of the NPT: international cooperation in radioactive sources throughout their lifecycle”, prof. Emy-Reynolds spoke about Ghana’s positive experiences from participating in the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative and in particular the Project 60. He participated at the panel discussion together with representatives from the European Commission’s Joint Research Center, the EU Delegation to the UN in Vienna, the IAEA, and the French Nuclear Safety Authority.
According to the information released by the organizer, the event focused on “the value of strong dialogue between researchers, field practitioners, operators, regulators and policy makers”; it also highlighted “synergies between technical cooperation, nuclear safety and nuclear security in contributing to the development and sustainability of nuclear science applications in different areas that use sealed radioactive sources”.
The side event took place during the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Prof. Emi-Reynolds, who is currently lecturer at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), took part at the Project 60 kick-off meeting in Nairobi in February 2017 (pictured here). During the launch event, he talked about the importance of public outreach on nuclear issues and shared how Ghana hosted “three experts from Sierra Leone to share the use of special equipment, to look for orphan sources and to search and secure radioactive sources out of regular control.”