Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     Nuclear research reactors are usually connected to universities for education, training and research. If African students who are interested in nuclear sciences and applications do not have access to nuclear research facilities in or near their home universities, then they must move to another country to study. There is a danger that such students might be attracted to opportunities and amenities in the countries they study in and choose to remain there after they graduate. The lack of employment opportunities is a major factor in facilitating the brain-drain from poor developing countries. Building and operating nuclear research reactors in Africa would be a major contribution to motivate African students and scientists to stay in their home countries or return to them to contribute to the economic growth of the continent.
     One of the major benefits of nuclear research reactors is the fact they offer products and services that include the irradiation of materials or production of radioisotopes. These goods and services can be marketed to generate income with which to finance at least part of the operation of the research reactor.
     The construction of a nuclear research reactor takes years and is expensive. The Mark-II TRIGA research reactor is currently lying dormant in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Refurbishing and restarting this reactor would be a great opportunity that could help remedy the lack of research reactors in Africa. There are currently no operating research reactors in central or east Africa, nor in any French speaking Sub-Saharan African country.
      The very first nuclear research reactor in Africa was built in the Belgian Congo in 1958. It was a fifty-kilowatt TRIGA reactor that was supplied by General Atomic (USA) named the TRICO-I. During the decade of the 1960s, in the independent Republic of Congo, TRICO-I was safely operated to provide research and training in the nuclear sciences. It was also utilized in radioisotope applications in agriculture, biology and medicine. TRICO-I was permanently turned off in 1970 and replace by the TRICO-II in 1972. This was another TRIGA research reactor that had the higher power capacity of one thousand kilowatts. It was located at the Center for Nuclear Studies in Kinshasa (CREN-K).
     In the 1970s and 1980, the activities at CREN-K included research and development as well as education in traditional areas such as nuclear engineering, nuclear chemistry and radiobiology. There were also applications of nuclear techniques in agriculture, medicine, material science and industry. One notable area of research was the systematic taxonomy of traditional African medicinal plants that was suggested by the scientific council of the Organization of African Unity in 1972. This was seen as a way to develop and market drugs based on traditional medicine.
     In 1994, regular operation of TRICO-II ended because the government lacked the funds needed. The reactor had operated safely for twenty-two years without any incidents. Following the shut down of TRICO-II, there were two wars in the Republic of Congo, one in 1996 and the other in 2003, In between the wars, there were periods of political instability and fluctuating funding for nuclear projects. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) carried out an Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactor on the TRICO-II in 2004. This resulted in a recommendation that the reactor be placed into extended shutdown.
Please read Part 3 next