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This year has been a very busy one for Dr Nii Kwashie Allotey, the Director General, Directors, Heads of Departments and staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority as we have been preparing earnestly for our first Integrated Regulatory Review Services (IRRS) Mission to assess how we are ensuring the protection of people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation hazards, since the establishment of the Authority in 2016.
This first Integrated Regulatory Review Services (IRRS) Mission, being hosted by the Authority was requested by the Government of Ghana in June 2022, preparation started in October 2023 and the 8-day Mission starts on Monday 25 November 2024 and will end on Wednesday 4 December 2024.
For Ghana, an embarking nuclear power country, this first IRRS Mission is timely because it is extremely important to review and strengthen the regulatory infrastructure required for ensuring the safety of the country’s nuclear power programme, to reach a higher level of public confidence and trust in the Authority.
The scope of the IRRS mission will review primarily the existing regulatory infrastructure for control of sources and other currently regulated facilities and activities using nuclear material and radiation sources based on the IAEA’s safety standards and international good practices.
The IRRS team from the IAEA comprises 12 senior regulatory experts from 13 member and five IAEA staff. The senior regulatory experts are from Burkina Faso, Morrocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malta, France, Turkiye, Netherlands, Latvia, Portugal, Hungary and Denmark.
It is expected that this IRRS Mission will provide the much-needed opportunity for the Authority to optimize efforts and resources for effective regulatory oversight of Ghana’s first nuclear power plant and all other nuclear-related facilities and activities in line with the IAEA safety standards.
About IAEA IRRS Missions
An IRRS Mission, while not an inspection provides a peer evaluation of the host country’s regulatory infrastructures in relation to the relevant IAEA safety standards. They also provide the platform for experienced regulators to discuss both technical and policy issues of a regulatory nature.
An IRRS mission preparation starts by conducting a self-assessment using an IAEA-developed methodology and software tool (eSARIS). After which, the IAEA and the host country meet to agree on the scope of the mission, including by defining which regulated facilities and activities will be reviewed. After the review, best practices and recommendations to improve upon the regulatory infrastructure are normally shared with the host country.
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