The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed today an International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission in Zambia. The mission is the 100th IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995. It is the IAEA’s only advisory service focusing on reviewing physical protection elements of national nuclear security regimes.
The mission, conducted upon the request of the Government of Zambia from 28 August to 8 September, was the first such mission in the country.
The twelve day mission was hosted by Zambia’s Radiation Protection Authority (RPA) and reviewed the nuclear security regime with regard to the security of radioactive material, associated facilities and activities, including transport.
Zambia uses nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes in various sectors, including agriculture, health, mining, education and environment.
The scope of the mission also included a review of the legislative and regulatory framework for the security of radioactive material; regulatory practices in licensing, inspection and enforcement; and coordination between stakeholders involved in nuclear security. In addition, the review covered security systems and practices in place at four selected facilities.
The IPPAS team peer reviewed the country’s implementation of the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), which Zambia acceded to in 2016, and of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.
The team visited facilities with high activity radioactive sources including the Cancer Diseases Hospital and the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research in Lusaka. The team also observed activities in the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine Investments Holding (ZCCM-IH) Waste Storage Facility in the town of Kalulushi and the Alfred H. Knight industrial company in the town of Kitwe.
The team observed that the nuclear security regime in Zambia is established. The team provided recommendations and suggestions to support Zambia in enhancing and sustaining nuclear security. Good practices were identified that can serve as examples to other IAEA Member States to help strengthen their nuclear security activities.
The IPPAS team was led by Abdou Salam Yahaya Bako, Divisional Commissioner of Police and Director of the Radiation Protection and Nuclear Security Department at the High Authority of Niger for Atomic Energy, and included four other experts from Egypt, Ghana, the United States and Zimbabwe, as well as one IAEA staff member.
The IPPAS team met in Lusaka with senior officials from RPA, as well as with representatives of ministries and governmental organizations, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Defence, the National Anti-Terrorism Centre, the Zambia Police Service, Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Vice President.
"The mission in Zambia – the 100th IPPAS mission - marks an important milestone for IPPAS, one of the core components of the IAEA’s nuclear security work,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. "It is an important moment for the host country as well, because for the first time an international team of experts is invited to Zambia to assess the physical protection systems related to the security of radioactive material, associated facilities and associated activities, confirming the Government’s commitment to strengthen the national nuclear security regime.”
“The IPPAS team advice will facilitate Zambia’s efforts towards enhancing the safe and secure applications of nuclear science and technology in the country. In addition, it will help strengthen Zambia’s nuclear security regime which is key for building confidence among the regulatory body, the operators, the public and other national stakeholders,” said Dr. Boster D. Siwila, Executive Director of the RPA. “The Government of Zambia looks forward to the implementation of the team’s recommendations and suggestions, in close cooperation with the IAEA.”
Background
IPPAS missions are intended to assist States in strengthening their national nuclear security regime. The missions provide peer advice on implementing international instruments, along with IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.
During missions, a team of international experts observes a nation's system of physical protection, compares it with international instruments and the IAEA nuclear security guidance and makes recommendations and suggestions for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.
Zambia is the 60th country to host an IPPAS mission.