Be agents of change, nuclear regulator tells Africa's youth
Youths perform a dance during the Africa Nuclear Youth Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on October 23, 2023. Seated are Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority Director General James Keter (second left) and Nuclear Power and Energy Agency Acting CEO Justus Wabuyabo and other guests.
The Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) has urged countries to work together in putting in place adequate safeguards in the field of radiation and nuclear technology in Africa.
The authority says nuclear power, if harnessed responsibly, holds the key to solving some of the continent's teething problems, including climate change and energy deficit.
Delivering a keynote address at the fourth edition of the Africa Youth Nuclear Summit at the KICC in Nairobi on October 23, 2023, KNRA Director General James Keter also called on stakeholders to ensure adequate resources and political goodwill as they seek to expand their nuclear programmes.
The meeting began on Monday and will end on Wednesday. Mr Keter urged the youth of the Global South - and Africa in particular - to stand up and be counted in shaping the future by harnessing nuclear energy for health, education, energy, research and security.
"Co-operation and teamwork are paramount. There's work to be done... we need all hands on deck. Whatever we do must be underlined by the protection of people and the environment," said the KNRA Director General, adding: "Issues of safety, security, regulatory framework, radiation protection and waste management will arise and we need to address them satisfactorily."
He said by convening the summit, the Africa Young Generation in Nuclear and the Kenya Young Generation in Nuclear had reminded the continent of the need to involve the youth in paving Africa's way to a prosperous nuclear powered future.
The event was also addressed by Enobot Agborau, Executive Secretary of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy, Justus Wabuyabo, Acting CEO of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA), researchers and ministry officials.
Mr Keter added: "As a regulator, we see nuclear technologies as an opportunity for Africa, now that we're looking at industrialisation, a strong economy, job opportunities, better health systems and stable energy supplies. We must now rise up and change the narrative of nuclear power from one of war and annihilation to one of progress and peaceful use."
Mr Agborau urged African youth to take an active part in policy-making in their countries that will lead to conversations around nuclear technology as a means of addressing some of the continent's age-old challenges, such as energy deficits.
The summit, attended by representatives from across the continent, urged nuclear regulators and implementing agencies to engage in public awareness saying commercial nuclear power is still perceived by the public as dangerous to humans and the environment.
"The youth should build on the foundations laid today and the legacy of the past. Nuclear power will undoubtedly help accelerate the search for solutions to many teething problems," he said, adding that nuclear power will play a key role in the African Union's Agenda 2063 plan to transform Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.
NuPEA CEO Wabuyabo said Kenya hopes to have its first nuclear power plant up and running by 2035. The forum heard that a third of the nearly 30 countries considering nuclear power are on the African continent.
