Rabat – Morocco is committed to promoting the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and supporting Africa’s development endeavors, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nasser Bourita said on Saturday.
In a speech addressed to the 36th Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Bourita underscored King Mohammed VI’s commitment to promoting peace and development in Africa through a south-south cooperation strategy.
While addressing the assembly, Bourita recalled the United Nations’ support of Morocco’s effort to combat the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The minister expressed Morocco’s willingness to implement various treaties related to nuclear safety in Africa by exchanging expertise.
The Moroccan diplomat further congratulated the new Executive Secretary of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), Enobot Agboraw on his appointment, and reiterated Morocco’s full support for his efforts to revitalize the governance of the commission.
AFCONE is working to promote the pan-African adoption of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under a partnership with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
“Morocco, as a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, is firmly committed to supporting this new partnership dynamic between AFCONE and CTBTO,” the minister said.
As part of its multifaceted action to achieve the objectives of Agenda 2063, Morocco is placing itself as a reliable partner for AFCONE and CTBTO. The country is set to train French and English-speaking African experts in the field of civil and scientific applications of the International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The North African country also plans to train African experts in a wide range of fields including, nuclear and radiological accidents, and civil aviation.
In his speech, the minister proposed three concrete plans for action. Namely, he proposed the establishment of regional centers dedicated to training experts and building human capacity for African states in the field of nuclear safety. In addition, the minister suggested scaling training activities under cooperation between Morocco, CTBTO, and AFCONE.
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