A team of senior international radiation safety experts today concluded a 10-day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review the regulatory framework for radiation safety in the Republic of Cameroon.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team made recommendations and suggestions to the regulatory body and the Government to help them strengthen Cameroon's regulatory framework and functions in line with IAEA Safety Standards.

Denis Flory, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, said in a message conveyed to the meeting that Cameroon, by hosting the mission, had demonstrated dedication to improve radiation safety and to learn from international experience.

Ingemar Lund, Senior Advisor in Sweden's Radiation Safety Authority, headed the nine-member review team, which also comprised experts from France, Hungary, Luxemburg, Pakistan and Zimbabwe as well as three IAEA staff members.

"The Cameroon National Radiation Protection Agency (NRPA) is a recently established regulatory organisation, but with active backing from relevant Government ministries it has achieved impressive progress in only a few years," Mr. Lund said.

"Our recommendations to amend existing radiation safety legislation and to strengthen the NRPA's regulatory powers aim to further improve the basis for safety work in the country."

The mission took place at the invitation of the Government of Cameroon. It included site visits to observe inspections, and interviews and discussions with staff from the NRPA and other organizations.

NRPA Director General Augustin Simo said: "The IRRS mission's recommendations and suggestions will strengthen our legal and regulatory framework in line with the international standards, and will contribute to a higher level of radiation safety in Cameroon."

The main observations of the IRRS review team comprised the following:

• The NRPA has gradually established the implementation of its functions and its responsibilities. Overall, the NRPA is strengthening the regulatory processes and improving the supervision of radiation safety in Cameroon; and
• The legislative framework does not empower the NRPA with the legal rights and authority it needs to carry out all the main regulatory functions of an independent regulatory body. Furthermore, it is not evident that sufficient resources for carrying out these functions are allocated.

Good practices identified by the IRRS team comprised the following:

• The NRPA is using the latest revision of an IAEA Radiation Safety Information System software to integrate in a single, integrated tool the main safety-related records, such as data on radiation sources and generators, records of occupational doses and inspection reports, enabling efficient and effective record keeping; and
• The regulatory body provides users of radiation applications with guidance to help them develop standardized emergency plans at the facility level.

The mission identified issues in need of attention or improvement, including the following:

• The Government should revise the legal and regulatory framework so that all provisions of the international safety standards are addressed in the laws and statutes;
• The Government should revise the existing legislation in order to assign and authorize the NRPA to carry out the main regulatory functions of an independent safety authority, such as establishing safety criteria; granting, suspending and revoking authorization; the review and assessment of safety matters, and inspection and enforcement activities;
• The Government should establish policy and strategy for the decommissioning of facilities and the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste. It should also establish mechanisms to ensure the necessary financial provision for decommissioning facilities and managing radioactive waste, disused radioactive sources and radiation generators; and
• The regulatory body should apply a comprehensive approach to authorization of facilities and activities, and ensure that the authorization system covers the entire lifetime of a facility and activity.

The final mission report will be provided to the Government of Cameroon in about three months.

About IRRS Missions

IRRS missions are designed to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the national nuclear regulatory infrastructure, while recognizing the ultimate responsibility of each State to ensure safety in this area. This is done through consideration of regulatory, technical and policy issues, with comparisons against IAEA Safety Standards, and, where appropriate, good practices elsewhere.

More information about IRRS missions is available on the?IAEA Website.