An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts completed today a nuclear security advisory mission in Senegal, which was carried out at the request of its Government.
The International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission, conducted from 22 November to 3 December 2021, was the first such mission in Senegal.
The scope of the two-week mission included a review of the legislative and regulatory framework for the security of radioactive material; regulatory practices in licensing, inspections and enforcement; and coordination between stakeholders involved in nuclear security. The review also covered security systems and practices in place at selected facilities and activities using radioactive material.
The IPPAS team also reviewed the country's implementation of the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its Amendment, which Senegal ratified in July 2017.
The team observed that Senegal has established a nuclear security regime. The team provided recommendations and suggestions to support Senegal 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 team was led by Rachid Mellouki, Head of the Physical Protection Unit in the Safety and Security Department of the National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology of Morocco. The team included four experts from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and the United States, as well as one IAEA staff. They met in the capital Dakar with senior officials from Senegal's Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority (ARSN), as well as with representatives of other relevant ministries and governmental organizations, including the Senegalese Inter-Ministerial Counterterrorism Prevention and Response and Coordination Body.
As part of the mission, the IPPAS team visited six facilities using, storing or transporting radioactive material, including an industrial facility using radioactive material for non-destructive testing and an interim storage facility.
"Senegal's request for an IAEA Physical Protection Advisory Service clearly demonstrates its strong commitment to nuclear security," said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. "The team's findings show a determination in Senegal to align its nuclear security procedures and practices with the provisions specified in the CPPNM and its Amendment, as well as with relevant IAEA nuclear security guidance."
"This IPPAS mission is a milestone in the establishment of our nuclear security regime. The revision of the national legal framework law to include nuclear security provisions and the 2017 update of our Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plan necessitated an IPPAS mission," said Ndeye Arame Boye Faye, Director General of ARSN. "This mission provided an opportunity for all stakeholders, including the ARSN, to learn more about each other's roles and responsibilities in nuclear security, which will lead to enhanced coordination. The IPPAS team's advice will be useful as we continue to implement the relevant international instruments and IAEA guidance on nuclear security."
Background
The mission was the 96th IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995.
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 a mission, a team of international experts observes a nation's system of physical protection, compares it with international good practices and makes recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.
