A five-day international workshop to this effect began at the Mont Febe Hotel on Monday March 26, 2012.Radiation experts from some 39 African countries are meeting in Yaounde to harmonise ways of sustaining and strengthening existing regulatory infrastructure in their countries for the development of radiation safety infrastructure and for avoiding accidents. This is within the framework of a five-day pioneer regional meeting on sustaining the regulatory infrastructure for the control of radiation sources (RAF9042)
that went underway at the Yaounde Mont Febe Hotel yesterday March 26. It is a project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Speaker after speaker at the opener were unanimous that adequate radioprotection infrastructure is essential for countries that use nuclear technology in domains like medicine, agriculture, industry and research.Within the framework of the RAF9042 project, participants said, the IAEA has proposed strategies to put in place a regulatory body. These strategies contain a number of steps; the establishment of legislation, regulation and the regulatory body. According to Dr Simo Augustine, Director of Cameroon??s Radioprotection Agency, the project on sustaining the regulatory body is very important not only for Cameroon but also for all African member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency. ??This is so because most of these countries are just starting the regulation of the utilisation of radiation sources. Cameroon has already a regulatory body and a law. A decree of application has been signed and the National Radiation Protection Agency has been put in place and is functional since 2007,?? he said. Being a young institution, Dr Simo thinks a project of this nature would help the agency to strengthen its regulation. ??We are already carrying out inspection, we are issuing permits for the use of facilities with radiation sources but we still need some regulation especially in the industrial and medical sectors,?? he added.
Through lectures and plenary discussions, the participants are working on the project??s work plan, its budget as well as agreeing on the steps forward. The Inspector General in the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Lucie Biyiti, officially opened the workshop.