Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak is the new director for Africa in the department of technical cooperation at the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna. Our reporter Ramadhan Rajab caught up with him in Nairobi for an interview on his new role; why Africa must embrace nuclear technology to help fight the cancer scourge and other health-related concerns; improve animal and plant genes to promote food security and meet energy demands
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born and bred in the Coast region. I attended Allidina Visram High, then later Egerton University for my undergraduate and University of Aberdeen, UK under a postgraduate World Bank Scholarship. I earned a PhD in 1995. Thereafter, I went for a post-doctorate fellowship at Shimane University, Japan under Matsumae International Foundation and Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS).
I have worked as a civil servant between 1987 and 1997, before joining Egerton University in 1997 as a lecturer rising through the ranks to full professor. In 2002, I was appointed deputy vice-chancellor - research and extension, for five years. After, I joined National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation as secretary and CEO for six years. During that period, I served as a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC); Governor of International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Trieste and represented Kenya as a governor in the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) and National Liaison Officer on IAEA matters in Kenya. Between July 2014 and November 2015, I have been serving as the first substantive vice-chancellor of Umma University.
Currently, I am the newly appointed director for Africa in the department of technical cooperation at the United Nation’s IAEA.
What does this agency do and what does your job entail?
IAEA is one of the UN agencies headquartered in Vienna. IAEA works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses on nuclear science and technology. We have several areas of works; nuclear technology and application, nuclear safety and security and safeguards and verification. Its key roles contribute to international peace and security, the millenium development goals and now SDGs for social, economic and environmental development. In the past it has been known as a watchdog on nuclear matters in the world.
IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano has been advocating for “atoms for Peace and Development”, hence this is the body that ensures peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.
What about the technical cooperation?
The IAEA Technical Cooperation (TC) programme is the main channel through which the agency delivers services to its member states. The programme operates in four geographic regions; Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean and also have the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). In my role as director, I have 45 member states of which 26 are LDC’s to manage.
It involves planning, programming, implementing and monitoring the technical cooperation programme in accordance with the IAEA medium term strategy and operational guidelines. The way we operate is through cooperation between the agency and member states. We normally have a cycle of projects, Country Programme Framework, where programs that are aligned to SDGs are developed in response to an individual country’s national needs and priorities.
We also have several thematic areas, agriculture and food security, human health and nutrition, energy, radiation technology, safety and security, water and environment.
But in Africa the priority areas will be in agriculture and food security (30.7 per cent), human health (23 per cent), safety and security (17 per cent), water and environment (13 per cent).
In Africa, we have regional projects that normally will involve 36 member states and we will have several interregional projects.
What is your budget and who are the beneficiaries?
The TC has an annual budget of about Sh103 billion, out of which 24 per cent is allocated to Africa Division.
In addition we have extra budgetary funds from strategic partners that complements the TC fund.
The beneficiaries of this would be the 167 members of which 45 are from Africa. Under the leadership of Dazhu Yang, the deputy director-general, TC is committed to work closely with the member states to improve the social and economic status using nuclear technology.
To many people, talking about atomic energy elicits images of bombs and weapons of mass destruction. Demystify these concepts a bit?
Under TC and nuclear applications, there is more interest in areas of agriculture and food security. For example using nuclear technology in characterization of livestock and upgrading of livestock breeds.
In Kenya we have used nuclear technology to produce wheat variety resistant to drought and pests, aimed at boosting food security. We have used it in radiation to increase shelf life of products.
In human health, nuclear technology is used in integrating radiotherapy into a comprehensive cancer control programme that maximises its therapeutic effectiveness and public health impact.
Another area is to inject an energy mix, into our renewable, hydro- geothermal and solar energy generation to sustain and run big projects.
The Standard Gauge Railway, ports, expanded economic zones, the LAPSSET will demand more energy, and nuclear power is an option.
Your appointment was greeted with excitement and jubilation here at home. What is in it for Kenyans?
Kenya became a member of IAEA in 1965. It has shown interest and is progressing well in as far as nuclear energy power programme is concerned.
There are several milestones in phases that must be implemented to establish nuclear power. Already, Kenya is in phase one and now moving towards phase two. What remains is to build more capacity especially on human resource and be able to focus on that program fully.
Through this partnership, Kenya will be able to commit herself in terms of medical infrastructure such as radiotherapy equipment at major hospitals like Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Coast General Hospital. Taking advantage of training and fellowships will be beneficial to Kenya as well.
When I was the National Liaison officer for six years, I managed to place several Kenyans under training and fellowship programme, and this is continuing.
Is Kenya ready for nuclear power production given that it is associated with catastrophes where there is no proper safety measures put in place?
There are certain measures that must be met before a country embraces nuclear power. IAEA offers advice to respective countries. We don’t build plants; we only offer technical and legal advice and issue guidelineS on what must be met before a country can pursue that program.
If Kenya can follow that, and I trust she will, then you will be able to develop the plant as planned by 2025. Kenya has programmes like the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board which is focusing on that.
What are some of the set standards that Kenya must meet to develop nuclear power?
Details are in the booklet Milestones in the Development of National Infrastructure for Development of Nuclear Power.
There are basically three phases. Phase 1 is considerations before a decision to launch a nuclear power programme is taken. Phase 2 involves preparatory work for the contracting and construction of a nuclear power plant after a policy decision has been taken. Phase 3 has activities to implement the first nuclear power plant.
The completion of each phase is marked by a specific milestone at which the progress of the development effort can be assessed and a decision can be made to move on to the next phase.
Milestone 1: ready to make a knowledgeable commitment to a nuclear power programme. Milestone 2: ready to invite bids/negotiate a contract for the first nuclear power plant. Milestone 3: ready to commission and operate the first nuclear power plant.
How can Kenya leverage nuclear technology in health to deal with cancer crisis in the country?
One way is to know the population of Kenya, and know how many doctors, nurses, technicians we have or require in the area of oncology so as they can effectively serve the citizens.
We must build capacity by encouraging institutions of higher learning to embrace some of these fields in the curriculum. There is also need to expand or revamp existing infrastructure as what we have isn’t enough so as to take advantage of the TC at IAEA and PACT.
How do we build capacity in this front whereas we are seeing many of our universities churning out more of humanity based graduates with less science based graduates who can tackle these emerging health concerns?
They are all important; we can’t just dwell on science alone. Hence we need to do socialization of science, in biology and chemistry that brings food on the table as well as the science of physics and technology innovation that will be able to mitigate such challenges.
What is critical is to start early by enticing the young fellows in science by simplifying the science concepts. We should do more of mathematics and science based competition quizzes to children at a tender age to ignite their interests in the field.
We need to equip our primary and secondary schools with laboratories so learners start having input in science early in their lives. At a higher level we need to embrace technical universities, by investing in them so as they can attract and churn out science based graduates.
Kenya should also take advantage of international organizations, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centres and UN agencies which have cutting-edge science programmes.
Also, involve the private sector that will benefit from the graduates from universities through Public Private Partnerships.
Lastly, Kenya needs to have deliberate and strategic efforts to address these issues. We have discovered gas and oil, we use technology to build SGR, and LAPSSET which requires people with capability to deliver therefore we must identify a curriculum that can address these areas.
What are your general observations about the threat of terrorism and the surge of radicalisation and extremism in the country, and whose responsibility is it to help stem this vice?
It is a collective responsibility. Radicals are enemies of everyone; Muslims and non-Muslims. Islam advocates for peace, inclusiveness, fairness and living in peace and harmony. It is unfortunate that these incidences have happened in many parts of the world including here in Kenya.
I think one way is to accept the fact that we have a challenge, and accept responsibility and resolve that we will never harbor culprits. We must be open and identify them and report them to relevant authority.
I am aware we have several organisations that can be able to do more outreach to ensure our young fellows are occupied and aren’t idle and have their social economic needs meet by creating economic opportunities for them so that they aren’t enticed on the other side.
We need more counter narratives because these people are using technology, they are persuasive, they are on-line and their presence is all over. Hence the need for counter strategies to these tactics.
We must as well empower the people in our mosques and churches to be able to speak out and condemn these actions and bring the people together.
My parting shot is that – Africa has great potential and with visionary leadership through partnership and cooperation the great continent can feed herself, have good health facilities, clear water and excellent infrastructure.
We must walk the talk with clear action plans, demand results, monitor and evaluate progress.