Adebola
JOHANNESBURG – Three teams of young people from Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania will travel to Russia after winning an online video competition on how nuclear technologies can assist in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals in Africa.
The fifth “Atoms for Africa” competition – organized by Russian state nuclear energy company ROSATOM in cooperation with EnerConnect, the African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN) and South African Young Nuclear Professionals Society (SAYNPS) for youth in sub-Saharan Africa – saw 14,000 votes cast online online.
Since its inception in 2015, 36 winning participants have visited various Russian nuclear facilities and well-known Moscow landmarks, top nuclear universities as well as other scientific and technological facilities.
Over the past 10 years, more and more African countries have begun to explore various nuclear technologies as viable options that contribute to sustainable development, AYGN interim president and SAYNPS executive chairman Gaopalelwe Santswere said.
“Countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are all currently actively exploring various nuclear technologies to solve a number of issues hampering development. Opportunities like the “Atoms for Africa” competition allow the young generation to truly understand the immense benefits that nuclear technologies can bring to their countries and the wellbeing of their people,” he said.
ROSATOM CEO for central and southern Africa Dmitry Shornikov said the company was committed towards supporting the development of young nuclear professionals.
“One of our key missions at ROSATOM is to assist the brightest young minds from across the globe to shape the future of energy by solving global challenges,” he said.
“This is a great opportunity for young people from very different walks of life who share a common passion to build a bright and sustainable future for Africa to discover more about various nuclear applications and their vast benefits for the region”.
Source: African News Agency (ANA)
