To infinity and beyond: Africa’s role in shaping the international nuclear security agenda

The document examines the role of African states in the global nuclear security framework, specifically focusing on the transition from the Nuclear Security Summit process to the IAEA's leadership. It highlights the limited representation of African nations at summits but notes their substantive contributions through treaty ratification and regional cooperation. The brief recommends that African states develop a unified perspective for upcoming international conferences and strengthen domestic legislation to align with global safety and security standards.

• The Nuclear Security Summit process, while useful for driving the agenda, is limited by its voluntary nature and a narrow focus on strategic countries rather than a global consensus. The 2010 summit was a "US-led initiative" with limited invitees, and the 2012 summit's outcomes "do not obligate participating states to implement any of the commitments."
• African engagement in nuclear security is increasingly critical because "over 30 African states are currently in the process of uranium exploration" and nearly half of the continent's states intend to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
• Despite marginal representation at summits, African states have demonstrated commitment to nuclear security through specific actions: South Africa returned 6.3kg of US-source highly enriched uranium in 2011, and several states including Lesotho, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Cote dIvoire, and Nigeria ratified or acceded to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT).
• Regional cooperation is facilitated through three primary bodies: the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), which ensures compliance with the Treaty of Pelindaba; the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA), which monitors the peaceful use of radioactive materials; and the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA).
• The document recommends that the six African states attending the 2012 Seoul Summit collaborate with other African nations to create an "African perspective" on nuclear safety and security to be presented at the 2013 IAEA conference and the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit.

APA

Broodryk, A., & Edge, S. (2013). To infinity and beyond: Africa’s role in shaping the international nuclear security agenda. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief40.pdf

Chicago

Broodryk, Amelia, and Shaun Edge. To infinity and beyond: Africa’s role in shaping the international nuclear security agenda. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief40.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Broodryk |first1=Amelia |last2=Edge |first2=Shaun |title=To infinity and beyond: Africa’s role in shaping the international nuclear security agenda |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=3 April 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief40.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{broodryk2013infinity, author = {Broodryk, Amelia and Edge, Shaun}, title = {{To infinity and beyond: Africa’s role in shaping the international nuclear security agenda}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief40.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }