On Monday, June 15, 2020, a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies voted on the law approving the ratification of the agreement between Rwanda and Russia on cooperation in the construction of the Rwandan Nuclear Science and Technology Centre.
The deal was concluded on 24 October 2019, in the Russian city of Sochi.
The Center will develop integrated nuclear energy solutions that are expected to benefit the Ministry of Infrastructure in advancing several sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, health , education, science and industry.
According to Minister of Infrastructure, Claver Gatete, the Government of Rwanda has begun the process of developing nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes and the establishment of this Center in Rwanda is essential to access a wide range of nuclear applications in this regard.
He has told lawmakers that Rwanda has chosen six areas where such applications can be made, including nuclear medicine, laboratory complex research reactor, and multipurpose radiation, particularly in agriculture, education, radiobiology, and material science.
Gatete said the establishment of the center is intended to provide Rwanda with the requisite nuclear science and technology skills to make it internationally competitive.
Taking examples of current nuclear uses, the Minister said that [some] of the food imported into Rwanda is preserved using nuclear technology, and the safety devices used to inspect cars are also equipped with that technology.
“If we do not have skills in such areas, we have a big problem. That is why we want to build the prerequisite skills, which requires laboratory and trained people,” he said.
MP John Ruku-Rwabyoma said that having the nuclear center is a good move for Rwanda.
“I am happy that Rwanda is going to have nuclear science. That will reduce the cost in electricity, agriculture, and research areas. We have reached a point where risks in nuclear science are over. Living near a nuclear reactor is like residing near a gas station,” he said
76 of the 78 MPs who were present at the plenary session voted for the aforementioned law. Two of them have turned it down.
MP Frank Habineza said nuclear power would cause more harm than good, and therefore voted against the law.
“Living near a nuclear energy plant is like living near a nuclear bomb which can explode and cause more damages. Considering the highly population density in Rwanda, there is no place where the plant can be built and the safety of Rwandans and neighbours is ensured,” he said.
MP Jean Claude Ntezimana said Rwanda would face a serious challenge in terms of nuclear waste management.
He asked whether the nuclear center’s potential benefits and effects were weighed to determine if it is important for Rwandans to have the center rather than not.
Minister Gatete noted that there are already 50 Rwandans in Russia who are pursuing masters and first degrees in nuclear science and technology, adding that Rwanda is planning to have more students filed in that.
“We are planning to send 20 more students [to Russia]. But, we also need others to go to study to America, Europe, Asia so that we have a team of a variety of skills,” he observed.
He said Russia is teaching students in Rwanda and enabling them to work in its new nuclear power plants based on technology which he described as an added advantage.
“Its nuclear reactors have been safe because they use cutting-edge technology. All of them are regulated by International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said as he responds to MPs’ security and safety concerns about nuclear power.
Minister Gatete said Rwanda has few trained people in this field who work with the Russians as Rwanda is about to start a study to set up the Centre.
“Nuclear energy waste manage will be one of the aspects that the study will take into consideration,” he said.
Meanwhile, a radiotherapy facility at the Rwanda Military Hospital in Kanombe has helped Rwanda a lot, Minister Gatete said. He pointed out that there was only one person in Rwanda who is trained in nuclear science in Egypt in 2017.
Yet, he said Rwanda sent many patients to India for cancer treatment, pointing out that India is charging low cost for such treatment.
“The cost of cancer treatment [in India] is $8,500 (over Rwf7 million), excluding airfare and accommodation expenses. But it is $1,750 (over Rwf1.5 million) at the Kanombe-based Rwanda Military Hospital, and health insurance helps cover such a cost for Rwandans,” he said, indicating that 350 Rwandans have been offered cancer therapy in nine months in Rwanda thanks to such a development.
“Once we have such a technology, and skills here, we help Rwandans get medical services which would otherwise be more costly,” he said.
Talking about fruits, he said RwandAir was carrying fruits from Rwanda twice a day along with Ethiopian Airlines, and farmers have to make sure they harvest them a day before export, so that they remain healthy.
“Yet, those [fruits] we import are handled through radiation so that their longevity increases. If we do not have such a technology, we cannot be competitive in terms of agricultural or horticulture exports,” he said.
