IAEA strengthens African sustainable development

The International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) have signed their first practical arrangements for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies for sustainable development in Africa.

The arrangements, which cover four-years  to 2022, provide a framework for cooperation in the areas of: human health; food and agriculture; water and the environment; industrial application of nuclear technology; energy planning and nuclear power infrastructure building; and radiation and nuclear safety and security. The Vienna-based agency announced yesterday the arrangements had been signed by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the AUC, and Yukiya Amano, director general of the IAEA.

Cooperation may be pursued to assist in the development of national and regional capacity to support activities of common interest and the development of funding proposals, to support the "mainstreaming" of science and technology for development, and in the development of national legislation and regulatory measures. It also covers the provision of technical support to IAEA member states in Africa that have the ability to use nuclear energy.

The African Union was formally launched in 2002 to spear-head Africa’s development and integration, replacing the Organisation of African Unity, itself founded in 1963. The African Union's vision is an "integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa", driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena. The organisation has 55 member states.

Only one African country - South Africa - currently uses nuclear power. Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa also have operational research reactors.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News