BILATERAL RELATIONS
Nuclear Energy
Russia is an important partner to Nigeria in the area of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Nigeria recognizes Russia as a country with advanced nuclear technology that can assist her in the effort to develop her Nuclear Plants for power generation and other peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Within the framework of Nigeria’s bilateral relation with the Russian Federation, a number of Inter-governmental Agreements (IGAs) had been signed previously between the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and Russian State Nuclear Corporation, Rosatom. The revival of the JCC was intended for cooperation in the design, construction and decommissioning of nuclear power plants on the territory of Nigeria. In 2015, two sites – Geregu, Kogi State and Itu, Akwa Ibom State were confirmed as preferred sites for Nigeria’s first nuclear power plants after evaluation by the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), in strict compliance with international standards and best practices. Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) signed the first intergovernmental Agreement to cooperate in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in 2019. On 15 July, 2021 the Federal Government of Nigeria inaugurated the reconstituted Russian-Nigerian Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on National Atomic Energy to revive the relationship between the two countries in cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The terms of reference of the committee include:
- To provide a broad framework for cooperation with the Russian Federation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy
- To participate in the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of both an NPP and multi-purpose research reactor
- To ensure dynamic monitoring and implementation of all agreements with the Russian Federation.
- To supervise the activities of Joint Working Groups in the following thematic areas; Nuclear Power Infrastructure; Human Resources management; Financing and Contracting Scheme; Technical Aspect of Construction; Nuclear Technology Applications; and Nuclear Regulatory Framework.
Two broad based Project Development Agreements (PDAs) were also previously signed, follow-up meetings have been held in Nigeria, Russia and Austria to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the two parties involved in the execution of the different elements of the agreements.