LAST year, Zambia signed a partnership with the Russian government to find solutions to the power deficit the country is facing.
The partnership includes joint development of atomic energy infrastructure, design and construction of power and research nuclear reactors, as well as the exploration and production of uranium.
The deal projects that within 15 years; Russia would assist Zambia train young nuclear energy engineers, plan for nuclear power plant personnel, develop a nuclear energy regulator and build a nuclear plant that will provide medicine, agricultural services and energy.
Preliminary works like trainings have started and the Country Programme Framework (CPF) has been presented to the Zambian Government.
The CPF is a document that provides details of the technical cooperation between Zambia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA is the world’s centre for cooperation in the nuclear field and seeks to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.
I therefore want to focus on a summary of the CPF in an effort to help the reader appreciate some of the expectations of the setting up the nuclear energy infrastructure.
The CPF constitutes the frame of reference for the near and medium-term technical cooperation between Zambia and the IAEA.
In the mutually agreed strategy for matching nuclear science and technology to national priorities for sustainable development, the focus of the technical cooperation will be on aspects of agricultural production, human health and water resources development.
Other aspects will be energy planning, human resource development, uranium mining and processing and the further strengthening of the development of national radiation safety infrastructure and regulation.
The CPF has been developed following intensive consultations between the Agency and competent authorities of Zambia on the basis of a thorough analysis of what nuclear science and technology can contribute to the achievement of national developmental objectives.
In doing so, the current state of development of nuclear applications in Zambia, in particular applications that can make direct contributions to the national strategy of poverty reduction and wealth creation, are taken into account.
In addition, the formulation of the present CPF took into consideration lessons drawn from the implementation of the previous CPF (2010-2015) and the past and present technical cooperation activities.
Consistent with relevant recommendations of the Agency’s Board of Governors, the Strategy for Technical Cooperation and the objectives of the CPF, the projected programmes are organised into three categories, namely, the near-term core programme, the medium-term core programme, and general support activities.
The Revised Zambian Sixth National Development Plan of 2013-2016 positions skills development, science and technology, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, energy and infrastructure development as the main investment areas for the anticipated economic growth that is required to reduce poverty and create wealth.
The Near-Term Core Programme relating to food and agriculture will focus on livestock development and crop production.
In livestock development the focus will be in various disciplines looking at a comprehensive strategy to enhance animal productivity through the development of animal breeds, improvement of feed resources and feeding techniques and strategies, and control of diseases, especially those which are vector borne and can pose a threat to human health (zoonoses).
In crop production, the emphasis will be on developing crop varieties that are resistant to climate change and diseases as well as investigating the benefits of irrigation technology to help reduce the adverse impact of weather on crop production.
In human health, the focus in nutrition will be to assess the impact of nutrition programmes on people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women and children.
In the area of cancer management, continued efforts will concentrate on establishing local training programmes for nursing, medical physics and radiation oncology, whilst in parallel; efforts will be placed on elevating the importance of nuclear medicine services in the overall cancer management strategy.
IAEA support will also be needed in tackling communicable diseases, particularly in the early detection of tuberculosis strains and malaria.
In water resources development, isotope hydrology will be revisited to assess groundwater pollution.
In the mining sector, Zambia aspires to strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework, governance and develop the required competences for the exploration, mining and processing of uranium and other radioactive minerals.
In its quest to develop its first national energy plan, Zambia will request assistance in developing the national capacity for energy planning.
In the area of radiation safety, nuclear security and safe management of radioactive waste, continued assistance will be needed to help Zambia fulfil the requirements in strengthening the main elements of the national radiation safety infrastructure in compliance with the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation.
Under the Medium-Term Core Programme, greater emphasis will be placed on human resource strategy in terms of supporting the Government’s initiative to establish nuclear science and technology programmes.
This will be complemented by continued assistance in strengthening the regulatory infrastructure with respect to the control of radioactive sources.
Specifically, to support efforts towards food security, the cooperation should focus on improved land use and management practices, as well as improved crop varieties using induced mutation and a feasibility on the use of the sterile insect technique for the control of tsetse and trypanosomosis, as well as the possible eradication of devastating animal and zoonotic diseases in the country.
In addition, pesticides and residue monitoring programmes will need to be verified as they affect local and international trade.
In the area of human health, the Government is committed to expanding nuclear medicine services with a focus on introducing local training programmes. In radiotherapy, assistance will be needed form the agency as the country embarks on Phase III, which envisages an expansion of cancer treatment centres to all nine regions.
In the mineral sector, Zambia will continue to consolidate and strengthen the national capacity in exploration, extraction, monitoring, governance and regulation of uranium mining.
With regards to sustainable energy development, the Agency’s continued assistance will be needed for Zambia to finalise its national energy plan.
Although Zambia does not expect that the technical cooporation programme of the IAEA replaces the efforts and responsibilities of the Government to ensure the realisation of the activities envisaged in its development programme, the assistance of the Agency will remain necessary within the limit of the technical corporation resources available for the implementation of the activities in which nuclear technologies are involved.
The regional projects, in particular those of African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology will be put to use in the realisation of the general support activities.
I end here today but I will continue with updates as and when something unfolds.
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