IAEA 54th GENERAL CONFERENCE:
NIGERIA MAKES STRONG SHOWING

Officials from at least 151 member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, (including Nigeria) met for the 54th General Conference of the agency from 20 to 24 September, 2010 in the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, discussing issues of global importance in the nuclear world. The Nigerian delegation was led by the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Mohammed Ka’oje Abubakar, who also presented the Nigeria Statement at the Plenary Session of the conference. The Nigerian delegation included the Director-General of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), two of its directors and the Chief Legal Officer. The NNRA delegates were involved in 14 activities held on the margins of the five-day conference.
The Scientific Forum at the 54th General Conference was entitled “Cancer in Developing Countries: Facing the Challenge.” The two-day event was dedicated to mobilizing more resources and awareness towards making cancer in developing countries a global health priority. The Director-General of the IAEA, Ambassador Yukiya Amano, who declared the Forum open called for unified action to fight cancer in developing countries. At the invitation of the Director-General, IAEA, the Director-General of NNRA, Professor Shamsideen Elegba, presented a paper at the Forum entitled “Challenges of Radiotherapy Practice in Africa: Safety and Efficacy” in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA). The Scientific Forum was also addressed by the Head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as that of the French Nuclear Safety Commission, among others. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, WHO, Margaret Chan sent a video message to the Forum. Papers were also presented at the Forum by the First Lady of Egypt, Mrs Susanne Mubarak and that of Mongolia, Mrs Khajidsuren Bolormaa.
The NNRA delegates also participated in the Senior Regulators’ Meeting which discussed issues like the Harmonization and Effective Use of the IAEA Safety Standards as well as the Infrastructure for a Safe Use of Radiation in Medicine. The ‘Senior Regulators’ ended their meeting with a panel discussion on the Challenges to be addressed in Ensuring Sustained Safety in Medical Applications.
Other activities that the NNRA delegates participated in at the IAEA 54th Conference was the Roundtable discussion on Nuclear Safety Networking where experience was shared on the development and future global and regional knowledge networks. The Director-General, NNRA, Professor Shamsideen Elegba, who is also the Chairperson, Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa, FNRBA, presented a paper at the Roundtable on “Development and Future of the FNRBA.” Some of the other important deliberations held by delegates from the NNRA at the conference were at the meetings on Nuclear Security and Safeguards of the IAEA.
The most important event for the NNRA and indeed Nigeria outside the 54th IAEA Conference in Vienna was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA) and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS). The MOU borders on areas of mutual cooperation between the two organizations especially in the area of capacity building, staff training and sharing of experience. The MOU was signed by Professor Shamsideen Elegba on behalf of FNRBA in his capacity as its Chairperson, while Professsor Choul Ho Yun, the President of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) signed for KINS. The signing ceremony was witnessed by several African delegates and representatives of the IAEA who described the event as a milestone in the development of nuclear and radiation safety infrastructure in Africa.

BELOW: SIGNING OF MOU AND EXCHANGE OF THE SIGNED MOU BY DG, NNRA (left) AND THE PRESIDENT OF KINS