Current Challenges of Nuclear Security in Tanzania

The development and implementation of clearly defined wide range of methods and techniques aiming at prevention and detection of, and response to theft, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear or other radioactive materials; techniques which include physical protection of such material at an installation or in transit, accountability, personnel reliability and training still present several and serious challenges to the nuclear security system in Tanzania at national scale. Several methods have been developed and implemented nationally to control and assure the security of nuclear and radioactive materials (from mining sites, industrial installation, research centers and hospitals) either at their location (being used or not) or in transit. This paper first present a brief but complete description of detection techniques used in Tanzania to identify nuclear and radioactive material not only at the points of entry but also within its borders. Secondly, the paper focuses on different types of challenges met by the protective measures of the nuclear security system that had been implemented and which solutions were developed to meet these challenges. And finally its maps a road forward on areas in the nuclear security system that need improvements and what future plans to use in order to achieve that purpose. (author)