NSSPI Interim Director Dr. Sunil Chirayath participated in the second part of a joint professional development course with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s International Nuclear Safeguards Engagement Program (INSEP), the US Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS), and the African Center for Science and International Security (AFRICSIS). The objectives of this course were to provide training and academic information on introducing nuclear security and safeguards topics into the engineering curriculum at Ghanaian, Kenyan, and Nigerian universities, to ascertain the current training and academic environment within the respective countries and universities regarding their engineering curriculum–particularly for safeguards and security, and to stimulate discussion between the universities and subject matter experts to encourage learning and cooperation.
Other subject matter experts for this 2nd part of the professional development course consisted of representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Missouri, Ahmadu Bello University-Nigeria, the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the University of Lagos, and AFRICSIS. The participants consisted of representatives from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, the Ghana Radiation Protection Institute, the University of Ghana, the Ghana School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, the Bureau of National Investigation (Ghana), the National Security Council (Ghana), the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the University of Port Harcourt Center for Nuclear Energy Studies (Nigeria), the University of Maiduguri Center for Nuclear Energy Research and Training (Nigeria), the Centre for Energy Research and Training (Nigeria), and Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria).
As part of the course, the Australian High Commission in Ghana also led a panel discussion on “The role of nuclear safeguards and security curriculum development in promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy and preventing nuclear terrorism.” All of the participants expressed strong interest in continued engagement and collaboration through a consortium of Sub-Saharan Universities with support from the US universities, PNS, and INSEP.