Nuclear Programme Implementing Unit

13/12/2022

ZAMBIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY(IAEA) NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON DEVELOPING A ROADMAP, THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION (NEPIO) AND THE INTERGRATED NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE REVIEW (INIR) MISSION PROCESS AND EXPERIENCES FROM MEMBER STATES.

13-15 December 2022

LUSAKA.

29/08/2022

Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS) and the Nuclear Programme Implementing Unit (NPIU) has handed over the site for constructing a perimeter fence and guard houses for the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) site in Silverest Chongwe district.

Ministry of Technology and Science Permanent Secretary Dr. Brilliant Habeenzu officiated the handing over of the site to the contractor, Lusaka Vocational Training Centre (LVTC).

The CNST, once completed, will comprise the following facilities;
1. Agriculture produce treatment facilities (Irradiation Facility),
2. Cancer Hospital (Nuclear Medical Centre),
3. Research Facilities (Nuclear Research Reactor and Laboratories) and
4. A training centre (Nuclear Science and Technology).

ENDS/PIX//.
NPIU

30/07/2022

Saturday, 30th July, 2022

The Nuclear Program Implementing Unit (NPIU) is exhibiting at the 94th Agriculture and Commercial Show at Lusaka’s show grounds.

This year's theme is, Innovation Through Technology, Technology Transforms Businesses.

Please find time to pass by the stand to understand more about Zambia's nuclear programme and its socio-economic benefits.

We are looking forward to seeing you!!

MoTS/NPIU

02/06/2022

MEDIA SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES BY MINISTRY OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, NPIU AND MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA.

MULUNGUSHI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE

LUSAKA.

03/03/2022

HOW NUCLEAR SCIENCE HELPS FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SURVIVE AND THRIVE.
Fruits and vegetables are important sources of vitamins and minerals. A diet high in fruit and vegetables can help protect you against cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Getting fruits and vegetables from seed to plate is an obstacle course that involves navigating climate changes, pests and diseases, soil and water pollution, desertification and ultimately high-level controls to ensure food is safe for consumption and exports. For all of these challenges, nuclear science offers proven, effective solutions.
The IAEA, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supports countries to produce fruits and vegetables under challenging environmental conditions and helps them meet and maintain international food safety requirements to retain and expand their export markets, with the use of nuclear techniques.
As a newcomer country, Zambia’s agriculture sector, consumers, traders will highly benefit from these technologies.

For more information visit the IAEA page.

10/02/2022

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES CAN POSITIVELY REDUCE SOIL DEGREDATION

Soil erosion is a major worldwide threat to agro-ecosystem’s sustainability and land productivity.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says fallout radionuclides and stable isotopes are used to measure magnitudes and sources of soil erosion, which can be controlled through efficient soil conservation practices.

Jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO the IAEA helps member states strengthen capacities in using nuclear and isotopic techniques to improve soil erosion management practices that support crop production and the preservation of natural resources.

Soil erosion is a worldwide issue that many countries are tirelessly working to find solutions to prevent it.

Zambia is among the countries facing extreme variations in weather patterns due to climate change. As a country expanding its application of nuclear science and technology, Zambia will take advantage of nuclear as well as radiation techniques to yield develop varieties of crops that are drought resistant. Further, these techniques will be applied accordingly to prevent soil erosion through conservation practices.

*A radionuclide is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable.

Ends…….

SOURCE IAEA

07/02/2022

16/12/2021

AWARENESS MEETING ON SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY FOR NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Zambian delegation are holding three days meetings on awareness of IAEA support for nuclear power programme infrastructure development in Vienna, Austria.

The agenda for the meeting is to broaden Zambia’s UNDERSTANDING of the requirements for a country embarking on a nuclear journey. ZAMBIA being a newcomer country embarking on the nuclear journey is making strides to understand what it takes to achieve this important mission.

Zambia has signed agreements with other countries on cooperation in the use of nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, over a hundred local students have been sent to Russia for training in the fields of nuclear science and technology for capacity building in relation to the nuclear programme.

Zambia in 2015 was hit by effects of climate change which caused poor rainfall and reduction in water levels in strategic water bodies. This affected power generation countrywide. The effect was noted in mining sector where the supply of electricity was reduced by about 30% and generally many businesses that depend on electricity were affected. It is for this reason that the Government in 2016 decided to add nuclear energy to its energy mix.

Nuclear energy has a low carbon footprint and is second from hydro as a clean source of energy and is safe as a driver for economic growth.

The Zambian delegation was constituted by experts from the Nuclear Programme Implementing Unit (NPIU) under the Ministry of Technology and Science, Ministry of Energy, and Radiation Protection Authority.

Ends/ Pix

25/11/2021

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES COULD HELP GROW ZAMBIA’S GDP AND GNP RESPECTIVELY

Nuclear technology is widely used in various sectors worldwide. As a country expanding the application of nuclear technology, Zambia is learning from countries that are already applying the technology in various sectors.

Nuclear technology can be applied in the health sector for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. In addition, radiation technologies such as irradiation facilities are used in the mining sector to improve the quality of gemstones and also in the agriculture sector to improve crop yield and increase livestock production.

Agriculture is among the sectors that will benefit from these technologies. Not only for the large scale producers but it will also maximize productivity for medium and small-scale producers. This will cause an export increase of agriculture produce.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) on Zambia’s agriculture 2021 reads; agriculture contributes 19 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs three-quarters of the population. As such, application of nuclear and radiation technologies can contribute indirectly to an increase in the GDP share of the agricultural sector.

The nuclear programme is already on course in advancing the country’s economic development with the first being the construction of the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST). Zambia is in the process of establishing a nuclear centre that will be located 10 kilometres away from the capital of Zambia, Lusaka.

The CNST will include a nuclear research reactor facility, a state-of-the-art laboratory complex, a multipurpose irradiation centre as well as a cyclotron-based nuclear medicine centre. The project will be implemented in several stages over a period of 3-6 years. The second phase will involve the construction of a nuclear power plant.

As a way of implementing the nuclear programme in a safe and secure manner, Zambia has already started training students and government staff in different fields of nuclear science and technology.
Most of the training is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a United Nations Agency that seeks to promote peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

06/10/2021

RADIATION PROTECTION AUTHORITY AND ITS READINESS FOR THE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

The Radiation Protection Authority (RPA) says it is ready to regulate the use of nuclear technology in Zambia.

RPA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Boster Siwila in an interview conducted by the Nuclear Programme Implementing Unit (NPIU) on how ready the authority is to handle the application of nuclear technology said the Authority is realizing the government’s vision of adding nuclear energy as part of the country’s diversified energy mix.

Dr Siwila said the move by the government proactively caused the Authority to engage international stakeholders such as the Russian counterparts and the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) to conduct various training staff on handling and managing nuclear materials such as radioactive waste and spent fuel.

He added that the authority and the international stakeholders have also signed an Inter-Agency Agreement on certain aspects which included strengthening of the legal framework and capacity building.

Dr Siwila also said following consultations with line ministries, mining companies and the IAEA came up with a draft nuclear and radiation protection bill that proposed the inclusion of many aspects which will empower RPA to regulate nuclear technology.

“As an authority, we are doing quite a lot and are overwhelmed with a lot of things that have to be put in place to be able to regulate the nuclear industry. However, as a regulator, we are on top of things to be able to give policy guidance.” He said.

RPA is the country’s regulator for the application of nuclear science and technology. It regulates radiation protection aspects at a higher scale and at a lower scale nuclear technologies in the medical sector.

14/09/2021

ROLE OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Nuclear Science and technology play a major role in bringing innovation, safety and efficiency to industrial processes. Making radiation technologies available to the Member States and assisting them in the peaceful use of these technologies is crucial.
Nuclear Science and Technology can be used in many ways that can bring social and economic change where Zambia could benefit from it through the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency- IAEA.

The uses can range from agriculture to medical, and space exploration to water desalination.
Agriculture and Food
In many parts of the world, agricultural workers use radiation to prevent harmful insects such as armyworms among others from reproducing or damaging crops.

Medical use
Medical uses of nuclear include, production of medicines and the detection of diseases such as cancer.

Nuclear science is crucial to understanding our universe, our world, and ourselves at the atomic level. If we can understand how atoms come together, interact, and can be best combined with other atoms, then new, more efficient materials and medicines can be developed.

Source- IAEA

02/09/2021

HOW NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP REDUCE GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS IN AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is a big contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But did you know that a lot of these emissions are a result of fertilizer overuse, which can actually be tackled?
Growing crops, raising livestock and other forms of land use are responsible for 23% of human-induced GHG emissions. Agriculture, therefore, is second only to energy generation in its role as a GHG emitter. With the help of nuclear techniques, scientists can measure the amount of fertilizer plants take up and provide farmers with the optimal amount to use. Studies have shown that implementation of this technology can lead to 50 percent reduction in GHG emissions. Zambia too can benefit from this technology.

Source: IAEA