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The Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) has proudly hosted the Kick-off Meeting of the “Strengthening Nuclear Safety Regulatory Capacity in Africa” project in Rabat, from 11 to 13 February 2025.
This European Union funded initiative unites six European Nuclear Safety Agencies and nuclear regulatory authorities from six African nations (Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South_Africa), fostering collaboration to enhance nuclear safety, radiation protection, and emergency preparedness, radioactive waste management, communication with the public, and human resources and capacity building, across the continent.
Implemented by Expertise France, this four-year project represents a significant step toward building a stronger, safer, and more resilient nuclear safety culture, aligned with the highest international standards.
AMSSNuR warmly thanks the European Commission, Expertise France, and the European Authorities for their valuable support and expresses its heartfelt gratitude to all the participants for their unwavering commitment and invaluable contributions throughout this important kick-off. The dedication and collaborative spirit are key to the success of this ambitious project.

The Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration, on the sidelines of the^66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held in Vienna from 26 to 30 September 2022.

This agreement, which focuses on the exchange of technical information and cooperation in the fields of nuclear and radiological safety and security between the Kingdom of Morocco and Slovenia, was signed on September 27, 2022 by Mr. Mounji Zniber, Director a.i. of AMSSNuR and Mr. Igor Sirc, Director of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Azzedine Farhane, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the International Organizations in Vienna and H.E. Mrs. Barbara Zvokelj, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the International Organizations in Vienna.

The objective of this Memorandum of Understanding is to facilitate cooperation and information sharing between the two parties, in particular with regard to (1) the development of the legislative and regulatory framework in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection, (2) the regulation of nuclear safety and radiation protection, (3) licensing and inspection processes and procedures, (4) regulatory assessment and periodic review of the safety of research reactors, (5) radioactive waste and spent fuel management, (6) emergency preparedness and response, (7) nuclear safety and radiation protection education, training and capacity building, (8) nuclear safety culture, leadership and management, (9) the integrated management system, (10) the nuclear safety policies and strategies and (11) the communication.

The signing of this memorandum of understanding is part of AMSSNuR’s efforts to promote international cooperation through the exchange of technical information, the sharing of experiences and good practices, through scientific visits, expert missions and the implementation of joint cooperation projects.

The Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) is organizing, on June 14 and 15, 2022 in Rabat, the closing meeting of the European Union/European Commission cooperation project with Morocco on support to AMSSNuR in order to develop its human and organizational capacities and strengthen the national regulatory framework for nuclear and radiological safety.

This meeting aims to present to the parties concerned and the national press the results obtained in the various tasks of this project covering the regulatory aspects, the management system of AMSSNuR, the processes and procedures, the development of its human resources, the nuclear and radiological emergency plan, the safety of radioactive waste management, nuclear safeguards, orphan source research, licensing and communication with the public.

During this meeting, the impact of this cooperation project at the national level will also be presented, particularly with regard to the upgrading of the nuclear safety regulatory framework, the inspection programme for activities and facilities using sources of ionising radiation, the preparation and conduct of responses in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency and public information.

This cooperation project, worth 1.6 million Euros financed by the European Union, was initiated in 2018, and was spread over five years.

The results obtained through this cooperation project will constitute, on the one hand, a basis for establishing a new strategic plan for the period 2022/2026 and on the other, a model to be shared with sister authorities in Africa within the framework of the triangular cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco, other African countries and the European Union.

On^{June 1} , 2021, an important meeting was held between the Forum of Nuclear Regulators in Africa (FNRBA) and the African Nuclear Energy Commission (AFCONE), on the identification of the means and mechanisms for the development of the partnership between the two regional bodies in the field of nuclear and radiological safety and security.

During this virtual meeting, which was attended by representatives of the FNRBA thematic groups and experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Dr. Khammar MRABIT, President of the FNRBA and Mr. Messaoud BAALIOUAMER, Executive Secretary of AFCONE, held discussions on the means and mechanisms necessary for the development of a partnership framework between the two regional bodies, and covering the six themes in which the FNRBA is involved, namely legislative and regulatory infrastructure, radiation protection and waste safety, nuclear safety infrastructure, emergency preparedness and response, transport safety infrastructure and nuclear security infrastructure.

In conclusion, the meeting stressed the need to programme joint activities in the fields of nuclear security and safety within the framework of this partnership, for the benefit of the African continent.

It should be noted that the FNRBA, chaired by the Kingdom of Morocco in the person of Dr. Mrabit for the period 2019-2021, was established in 2009 and was officially recognized as a regional intergovernmental organization in September 2019, with the objective of improving, strengthening and harmonizing the regulatory infrastructure for radiation protection, nuclear safety and security, and the culture of safety and security among its 34 member States, and that AFCONE, established under the Treaty of Pelindaba in 2009, works to promote the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology in Africa.

The Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) took part, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in the work of the twelfth meeting of the Arab Nuclear Regulatory Authorities organized by the network of Arab Nuclear Regulatory Authorities (ANNuR) and the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA).

Held remotely and in Arabic, the meeting focused on topics of increased importance relating to regulatory oversight in the nuclear and radiological fields and the development of the human, technical and organizational capacities necessary to ensure a high level of nuclear and radiological safety and security. The meeting also identified concrete actions that Arab States should take to establish and/or improve their national regulatory infrastructure, including through education and training.

Indeed, this meeting is part of the implementation of the “Arab Strategy for the Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy” and in particular the action plan of the project entitled “Strengthening Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks for Nuclear and Radiological Activities in Arab Countries” which was approved by senior officials of these countries.

The objectives of this meeting were to assess the progress made by the ANNuR network, to estimate the current and future needs of the Arab nuclear authorities, to set up an Arab training and qualification programme for radiation safety officers and to exchange good practices developed in terms of radiological monitoring of the environment and early notification.

In this sense, Dr. Khammar Mrabit, Director General of AMSSNuR, shared the Moroccan experience in the development and strengthening of the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiological safety and security, as well as in the development and implementation of national strategies dedicated to theoretical and practical training in nuclear and radiological safety and security and radiological monitoring of the environment.

Dr. Mrabit also stressed the importance of deploying cooperation mechanisms aimed at exchanging experiences and sharing good practices. He also demonstrated the willingness and commitment of AMSSNuR to build on its achievements by implementing bilateral and multilateral cooperation actions, particularly through collaboration networks, such as the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Authorities in Africa (FNRBA) chaired by Dr. Mrabit, as well as expert missions, training courses and technical and scientific visits.

Finally, the twelfth meeting of the Arab nuclear authorities provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience among the various Arab countries. This spirit of sharing fosters, in the medium and long term, the improvement, strengthening and harmonization of national nuclear and radiological infrastructures and regulatory frameworks and aims to support the global nuclear and radiological safety and security system.

Dr. Khammar Mrabit, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR), chaired, on February 25, 2021, a webinar on emergencies triggered by nuclear security events, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Incident and Emergency Center, for the sharing of information and exchange of experiences on emergency preparedness and response arrangements nuclear security events.

The webinar, which was attended by more than 400 registered participants, was held in Arabic, one of the six official languages of the United Nations system. It was opened by Dr. Mrabit, who recalled the importance of the IAEA’s organization of more and more events in Arabic, which is a great advantage for Arabic-speaking countries, not only because the documents presented are easier to understand, but also because the topics are relevant to the region. Dr. Mrabit also expressed his willingness to strengthen AMSSNuR’s cooperation with the IAEA in order to help the Arabic-speaking member states of the IAEA improve their preparedness and response capacities in the event of nuclear or radiological emergencies.

In addition, a multitude of themes were addressed during this virtual event including (1) raising awareness of nuclear security aspects within the framework of the General Safety Requirements No. GSR Part 7, (2) discussing the challenges of coordinating the response to emergencies triggered by nuclear security events, and (3) raising awareness of the IAEA’s role in preparing for and responding to a nuclear or radiological emergency triggered by a nuclear security event.

In addition, Dr. Mrabit presented the experience of the Kingdom of Morocco, as a Member State of the IAEA, which organized, in collaboration with the IAEA, the very successful ConvEx-3 crisis exercise in 2013, entitled Bab Al Maghrib and in which 59 countries and 8 regional and international organizations took part.

Finally, Dr. Mrabit referred to the good practices that the Kingdom of Morocco has identified and adopted following the organization and participation in this type of exercises, by a significant number of national participants who have demonstrated their firm commitment to ensure the continuous improvement of the preparedness and response to nuclear or radiological emergencies that may occur on the national territory or likely to affect it.