2 March 2020 , Dar-es-Salaam.
Government officials and experts in the field of energy from twelve states – members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) kicked off their Energy Subcommittee Meeting with a one-day workshop on the safety and safeguards of nuclear transportation, organized by ISTC and the SADC Secretariat. Officially inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy of Tanzania, Ms. Zena A. Said, the capacity development workshop provided an opportunity for over 70 participants from ministries responsible for energy, natural resources and environment to get acquainted with the key principles of nuclear safety, security and safeguards and to discuss the challenges and opportunities for nuclear energy and nuclear applications in Africa. The Director of Infrastructure with the SADC Secretariat Ms. Mapolao Rosemary Mokoena, talked about the wide-ranged agenda that keeps the Energy Subcommittee engaged with regional issues from renewable energy, to energy efficiency to food security. She emphasized that the SADC Secretariat is prepared to apply a multisectoral approach to all matters related to energy and to suggest to member states to consider, in the future, inclusion of the topics of nuclear applications and nuclear safety and safeguards in the SADC policy guiding documents. The workshop participants were greeted in a special address on behalf of ACER, the European Union’s Agency for Cooperation of National Energy Regulators, prepared by Dr. Olga Borisova, Administrative Director. Mr. Elijah C. Sichone, Executive Director of RERA, the Regional Energy Regulators Association of Southern Africa, noted that his institution has already established relations with ACER.
The design and deployment in Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia of a web-based Information Tracking System to monitor the transportation of radioactive materials is one of the key elements of project MC 5.01/15 B. Mr. Nikolay Palov from the Software company, developer of the system, presented a short video about the ITS and the related trainings provided to over 50 African experts on its use. He stated the readiness of his company as a contractor under the ISTC-implemented project, to organize additional trainings and installation of the system in other Southern African states. Representatives from Angola and Botswana expressed an interest to be included in the ITS network and the project.