Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering education and training, infrastructure development and public opinion have been signed in the next stage of Burkina Faso and Russia’s cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
The MoUs were signed by Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev and Burkina Faso’s Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Yacouba Zabre Guba, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
They set out a framework for interaction covering education and training in the field of nuclear energy, the assessment and development of nuclear infrastructure and also cooperation concerning the forming of positive public opinion on nuclear energy.
Rosatom said that as part of the agreements there would be links between educational institutions, training of teachers and student exchange programmes. On public opinion there would be activities aimed at raising public awareness of the benefits of non-energy applications of nuclear technology in areas such as medicine and agriculture.
The MoUs build on those signed in October 2023 and in March this year which set out a roadmap for the development of cooperation between the two countries with the aim of implementing both nuclear energy projects and using nuclear technology to benefit medicine and agriculture in Burkina Faso.
The signing took place on the same day that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was visiting Burkina Faso for talks. Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore said at a press conference after their discussions that the cooperation “is a positive factor that will allow us to further develop infrastructure in this direction”, and said that developing the energy sector was a top priority for the country, the Russian Tass news agency reported.
Source: World Nuclear News
