Regional Nuclear Security Workshop

From Monday 20 to Friday 24 June 2022, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), hosted representatives from various Nuclear Regulatory bodies across Africa, for a Regional Workshop in Accra, Ghana.

The 5-day nuclear security workshop which was held at the AH Hotel & Conference in East Legon, Accra, enabled participants to become familiar with the components of an effective national framework for managing response to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving material out of regulatory control and to develop a national response roadmap.

The workshop commenced with an address by the Director-General of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Dr. Nii Allotey, at an opening ceremony, to officially welcome a total of 30 professionals from various Nuclear Regulatory bodies and Security Agencies, drawn from 7 African Countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, Tanzania, Niger, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

A balanced mix of power-point presentations and break-out group discussion sessions was the workshop's instruction format. This participatory style of engagement was to enable participants fully grasp the concepts of the workshop through peer discussions and personal research.

Facilitation of the workshop was done by a seasoned Nuclear Security Officer, Mr. Fei Liu from the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, and ably assisted by 3 other experts: Ms.Lyudmila Simeonova from Bulgaria, Mr. Mogahed Mohammed Ali from Sudan, and Mr. Hambali Rabiou from Niger. 

Pertinent topical areas addressed in the workshop include: Introduction to the IAEA Nuclear Security Programme, a National Framework for Managing the Response to Criminal or Intentional Unauthorised Acts involving Nuclear and other Radioactive Material – An overview, Introduction to Response Roadmap, Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and Multi-Agency Command and Control Arrangements, Nuclear Security Response Roadmap Development for Centralia (a hypothetical state), and National Response Roadmap Discussion – the process involved, and how it assists states to focus on developing response capabilities.

The lectures relevantly provided an overview of the international legal framework for designing a nuclear security response roadmap on MORC, and the engaging group exercises also provided participants with insights on the necessary practical steps to take when designing a response framework or plan. It further provided participants with essential tools and skills required to enhance work delivery to enable them to contribute more efficiently to the nuclear security function.

On Friday, 24 June 2022, the workshop ended successfully with all participants receiving certificates of participation at the closing ceremony.