Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on 18 January that, unless solar becomes a cheaper alternative source of clean energy, Africa and Uganda, in particular, will have to use nuclear energy.
Uganda has already trained 15 nuclear experts headed by Sarah Nafuna in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
Museveni was meeting the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano who the following day attended a ceremony to inaugurate new radiotherapy equipment.
The new radiotherapy machine will enable Uganda to resume essential treatment services for cancer patients after its previous equipment broke down in 2016. The IAEA provided technical and financial support for the re-establishment of radiotherapy services in Uganda.
The IAEA helped buy the new equipment and ensure its safe installation at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala. IAEA assistance totalling more than €500,000 included the decommissioning of the old radiotherapy machine and purchase of a new one on a cost-sharing basis with the government. The Agency also provided advice in adapting the existing facility to accommodate the new machine and training for medical staff.
Photo: Uganda inaugurated a new radiotherapy machine on 19 January (Credit: Uganda Cancer Institute)
