By On Monday 19 June, 2017, Uganda’s State Minister for Minerals, Simon D’Ujanga and Russia’s Deputy Director General of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation, Nikolai Spasskly, met in Moscow.
ROSATOM is a Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation which runs uranium extraction, production and other nuclear activities in Russia and across the world.
The two countries’ representatives (Uganda and Russia), signed a Memorandum of Understanding, upon the development of uranium into nuclear power. The nuclear power however, in this manner, will be used for peaceful purposes, according to sources.
“The Memorandum, is the first agreement in the area of peaceful uses of atomic energy to be signed between the two countries,” a statement issued by RASOTAM’s press team.
“It envisions the bilateral cooperation in wide range of spheres, including programmes for raising public awareness of nuclear technologies and its application, development of nuclear infrastructures in Uganda, application of radioisotopes and radiation technologies in industries, medical and agricultural sectors,” the statement further explained.
The Memorandum was signed in the presence of an International exhibition of the nuclear industry (ATOMEXPO). This international exhibition brings together a number of participants, in a bid to discuss matters related to the nuclear energy industry, and share ideas.
Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of Uganda in Moscow, Ambassador Rutazindwa Gideon Mwebaze, Ms. Sarah Nafuna, the Head Nuclear Energy Unit and Alexey Likhachey, the Director General of ROSATOM among others, also witnessed the signing.
Regarding the signed agreement, other areas of collaboration were mentioned as; radiological and physical security, fundamental and applied researches, human resource education and training, and nuclear research centers, based on multifunctional research reactors.
After the whole session, according to different reporters, the two parties agreed to cooperate upon implementing the common projects referred to.
The Uganda-Russia nuclear agreement, comes shortly after a month when Prisca Boonabantu, the Undersecretary that led Uganda’s Ministry of Energy team to China.
The team travelled to China at the invitation of Zhonguan Engineering Corporation (CZEC), upon discussions with Beijing, to help Kampala, Uganda develop peaceful nuclear at about $3 billions
Reporter: Shamilah Namuddu