The Acting Director of the Division for Africa, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department, Mr. Gashaw Gebeyehu Wolde alongside Mr. Mickel Edwerd, the Section Head, Africa 1, Department of Technical Cooperation and the Programme Management Officer(PMO) for the country, paid a courtesy visit to NAEC on October 20, 2025, following the recent appointment of Mr. Wolde as the Acting Director for the Division for Africa at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The visit was to enable Mr.Wolde familiarise himself with the projects and programmes of the IAEA in the country and to discuss areas of enhancing further collaboration with the Commission. He highlighted the significant importance of Nigeria in terms of its long standing membership and partnership with the IAEA and reiterated that the decision of the country to embark on the Nuclear power programme has positioned it at the fore front.

In his response, the Acting Chairman of NAEC, Engr. Dr. Anthony Ekedegwa, updated the IAEA delegation on some of the activities of the Commission such as; site selection, feasibility studies and site characterization, including collaborations with some international organizations.

The PMO informed that the design of the country’s next programme for the 2026-2027 cycle has been finalised and awaiting final approval by the IAEA Board of Governors next month, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of new projects in Africa. Areas covered in the next cycle include nuclear power, health, establishment of nuclear instrumentation laboratories, and the fight against animal diseases in livestock. He also informed that the Ag. Director has facilitated the upward review of Nigeria’s budget at the IAEA.

In his concluding statement, Mr. Wolde stated that there are expectations from Nigeria as a country with strong human and institutional capacity to lead the way in advancing the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology.

The Ag. Chairman in his closing remarks assured Mr.Wolde of Nigeria’s commitment to the goals and objectives of the IAEA .

The delegation proceeded to the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), National Hospital Abuja (NHA) and the Nuclear Technology Centre (NTC), Sheda. They were received at the NNRA by Dr. Idris Yau, the Director General and his team of Directors; while at the NHA, they were received by Prof. Muhammad Raji Mahmud, the Chief Medical Director and the heads of various departments; also present were representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health and National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT). There was facility tour at NHA to their SPECT scanner and bunker at the radiotherapy section.

During his one-week stay in the country, Mr. Wolde’s itinerary features visits to several other nuclear-related facilities across the country, reinforcing the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the IAEA.