A plan to establish the Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST), in Rwanda's Bugesera District, made significant headway following the validation of its feasibility study, on October 30.
The creation of the centre was announced in 2019 as Rwanda pushed forward its ambitions of leveraging nuclear energy for sustainable socioeconomic transformation. It was previously scheduled to be completed in 2024.
The proposed CNST is a complex facility that combines various facilities that fulfil Rwanda&039;s needs for nuclear and radiation applications. They include a Multipurpose Irradiation Center, a Nuclear Medicine Center, Nuclear Research complex, and Laboratories complex.
The facilities are expected to enable the development of basic research and commercial application of nuclear and radiation technologies, contribute to boosting of strategic industries, and present enormous capabilities for regional and international collaboration.
Fidel Ndahayo, the CEO of Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), said that the validation of the feasibility study is a major step towards the set-up of the centre, whose construction is scheduled to begin in two years.
"The study indicated that the location of this complex is safe and environmentally and geographically conducive for conducting the activities. It also estimated the cost to range between $600 million to $800 million, but we are considering lowering it to $400 million.”
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He emphasized that the project would insist on sourcing most of the needed materials and capacity locally, which presents an opportunity for Rwanda’s private sector to leverage its economic potential.
Ndahayo noted that while the project may take time to complete, priority will be on setting up the cyclotron radiopharmaceuticals production unit that will enable the acquisition of the highly-needed PET-scan in Rwanda’s health sector as well as the multipurpose irradiation center that will be used to increase the shelf life of agricultural produce using food irradiation and sterilization of medical equipment, among others.
Going forward, he said, project implementation will follow the completion of three other studies including an environmental impact assessment study.
The CNST project is being implemented in collaboration with the Russian State-owned nuclear group ROSATOM, which facilitated the feasibility study alongside the government of Rwanda.
Rwanda’s efforts in tapping into the nuclear energy sector have been coupled with capacity building. More than 160 Rwandan students are pursuing nuclear science studies in Russia, and another pool of 40 students are to be sent abroad for similar courses, Ndahayo said.
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Dr. Pacifique Mugenzi, the Head of the Cancer Centre at Rwandan Military Hospital, said that this is a major milestone in boosting Rwanda’s health sector capacity in terms of human capital and treatment resources expected from the radiopharmaceuticals production unit.
"As far as the health sector is concerned, this couldn’t have come at a more opportune time because we are at a stage where we want to expand and introduce nuclear medicine in Rwanda, which is part of a major component of this project.”
He noted that the sector will benefit in terms of diagnostics, therapeutics, and sterilization. To give it perspective, he said that nuclear medicine is an important component in cancer treatment in such a way that it gives an accurate assessment of what one is dealing with, translates it into a more targeted treatment approach, and gives an accurate assessment of the treatment impact on a patient.
Overall, the CNST&039;s socio-economic benefits include reduction of potential mortality from cancer and other diseases through early diagnosis and treatment, highly qualified specialists, employment opportunities, and effective production of isotopes for medicine, agriculture, livestock, and ecology, among others.