ISLAMABAD, Mar 01 (APP):In a significant development aimed at expanding scientific cooperation for sustainable development in Africa, Coordinator General of OIC-COMSTECH, Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary held high-level and productive meetings at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, resulting in key agreements to jointly implement health and food security initiatives in African countries.
During the visit, Prof Choudhary met with Ms Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General of the IAEA’s Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, and Mr Jean-Pierre Cayol, Department Programme Coordinator, to review ongoing cooperation and explore new avenues of collaboration under the existing Memorandum of Understanding between OIC and IAEA.
The meeting was also attended by Pakistan’s Ambassador Muhammad Kamran Akhtar and Dr Riaz, Technical Lead from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
Both sides agreed to launch collaborative projects in Senegal, Nigeria, and Uganda, focusing on two major priority areas.
The first initiative aims to strengthen radiation therapy and diagnostic services in nuclear medicine through the expertise of leading Pakistani institutions, including the Nuclear Institute for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (NURI).
The second area of cooperation involves the application of nuclear radiation technology for post-harvest treatment to reduce food losses in the targeted African countries, with technical support from Pakistani institutions.
Discussions also emphasized enhanced cooperation and knowledge sharing in the fields of healthcare and food security. It was further proposed to engage the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund to support and strengthen the implementation of the initiative.
The participants agreed that Pakistan’s technical expertise and institutional excellence would be utilized for capacity building and human resource development in partner countries.
The meeting marked an important step toward expanding OIC-IAEA collaboration aimed at promoting sustainable development, improving healthcare services, and enhancing food security across Africa.