Rosatom begins 4th annual video competition to drive nuclear energy in Africa
Russian state owned nuclear investment corporation, Rosatom has officially opened entries for its 4th annual student video competition, devoted to the potential of nuclear power to help bolster Africa’s economic and social development. Students and young professionals from all Sub-Saharan African countries are invited to participate.
Business Hilights gathered that the competition is aimed at encouraging students to do their own research into various nuclear applications and the benefits they might have for Africa. The contest will run up until the 25th of August 2018, and young people between the ages of 18 to 30, alone or in a group of up to 3 fellows, are encouraged to film a 60- to 120-second video on their findings.
This year, for the first time, the contest is supported by the African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN), South African Network for Education in Nuclear Science and Technology (SANNEST) and South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE).
The top ten videos will be shortlisted and posted on the company’s Facebook page, the creators of the three videos with the most likes will win an all-expenses paid trip to Russia on 6 – 12th October, 2018. In addition to the cultural tours of Moscow, the agenda includes a visit to one of Russia’s Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) which is equipped with VVER nuclear reactor, as well as a journey to the first City of Science – Obninsk where many scientific and nuclear facilities are located. The winners will have a chance to meet African students who are currently studying nuclear physics at the world-famous MEPhI nuclear university.
To help applicants increase their chances of winning, Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, together with Wits University, will hold an online webinar “Atoms Empowering Africa” on the
21st of June 2018 at 11:00 SA time (10:00 am GMT), to introduce the potential of nuclear for Africa, showcase Rosatom’s latest activities on the continent and answer questions regarding the competition. Link to the webinar is https://zoom.us/j/170962638.
Other useful information can be found on the Rosatom Africa website, as well as in open sources, such as the recent research of the Center for Global Development “Atoms for Africa: Is There a Future for Civil Nuclear Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
According to the International Energy Agency, 625 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity, while the average per capita residential electricity consumption is less than 350 kWh per year.
In 2015, representatives from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia and Uganda began preliminary plans to set up the Enhancing Nuclear Power Programme Development, aimed at strengthening and building capacity across the African continent for the planning, development, and management of nuclear power infrastructure and programs.
Mr. Dmitry Shornikov, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa highlighted the company’s commitment to education, both in Africa and globally. “We at Rosatom view education and youth development as a priority. We at Rosatom see it as one of our key State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM missions to assist the brightest young minds from across the globe to work together in solving global challenges that will shape the future of energy and the world as we know it”.
The company conducts educational projects in countries of its presence, and regularly brings together the most promising students and young professionals from around the globe for educational sessions, trainings and forums in Russia and abroad.
For young people wishing to get a head start on a promising career in the nuclear field, Rosatom regularly holds physics competition for high school pupils and students of technical universities, where the winners get a chance to complete their education in Russia and join the nuclear elite when they come back home. Today, over 50 students from sub-Saharan Africa, including from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zambia, study in Russia.
African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN) is a non-profit organization bringing together national networks (YGNs) for young professionals in nuclear field and other related disciplines. It is a continental affiliate body to the International Youth Nuclear Congress whose membership is drawn from the UN member states and operates within the IAEA mandate for atoms for peace and development. The AYGN’s prime mission is to address the socio-economic issues of the continent through promoting peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology by educating the general public and facilitating knowledge transfer from the current generation of leading nuclear industry experts to the young generations. This is effectively done by offering a platform to share, exchange ideas and network on issues related to nuclear science and technology in Africa and globally.
Business Hilights recalls that the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE), formed in 1909, has grown to more than 6000 professional engineers. Members are professionally engaged in the full range of engineering activities, which includes academic research, manufacturing, electronics, telecommunications, measurement and control, mining, and power infrastructural services. Our members make meaningful contributions to the quality of life in communities and the steady advancement of technology.
South African Network for Nuclear Education Science and Technology (SAN NEST)’s objective is a suitably qualified and experienced nuclear personnel employed by nuclear science and technology programmes in South Africa with the aim of strengthening the nuclear science and technology education programs to better meet future demands in terms of quality, capacity and relevancy.
