Representatives of Nigerian Nuclear Technology Center Find Out about Education and Research Capacity of Tomsk Polytechnic University

A delegation from the Nuclear Technology Center of the Republic of Nigeria paid a working visit to Tomsk Polytechnic University. The representatives of the Center were told about international educational programs offered by Tomsk Polytechnic University and visited its research laboratories.

According to Hamman Tukur Gabdo, Director of the Nuclear Technology Center of the Republic of Nigeria, the nuclear industry in the country has been developing rapidly. Nigeria is facing a number of overarching challenges, including the construction of the first nuclear power plant, the second nuclear reactor, and the development of nuclear technologies for non-energy applications, such as nuclear medicine and radioecology. According to the delegation, the country needs about 2,000 engineers and scientists to address the challenges set forth in its nuclear power program.

To achieve all the stated goals, we need human resources, we need a large human potential. Now, we do not have that many specialists. We need not only managers, but also practical engineers. For this reason, we send students from Nigeria to various universities to pursue nuclear programs, including, thanks to cooperation with Rosatom State Corporation, to Russian universities,

He noted that current employees of the Center have studied and are studying at Tomsk Polytechnic University, and many graduates of TPU's international nuclear education programs later join the ranks of the elite of the nuclear industry in Nigeria, he added.
"The students who graduated from TPU master's programs have all returned to Nigeria to work in the industry. It happens so that upon their return, they have really advanced in their careers. The graduates remember TPU with great warmth and appreciation. We will definitely recommend your university for studies," the expert shared.

Oleg Dolmatov, Director of the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Acting Vice-Rector for Technology and Education Transfer at Tomsk Polytechnic University, told the delegation members about how the university is developing education and science at present, what major projects it is involved in, and what it has to offer to international students.

"TPU, being a backbone higher education institution for Rosatom, has designed a full range of educational programs in nuclear power engineering and nuclear medicine for international students from Rosatom's partner countries. These include bachelor's, master's, postgraduate and continuing education programs. Students from the African continent play an important role here. I would like to point out that the first international nuclear master's program, launched at Tomsk Polytechnic University in 2015, was designed for students from an African country, Egypt. Over the years, students from more than ten African countries have studied in various programs at TPU. Among them, of course, is Nigeria. Our cooperation experience has proved that the expertise of TPU professors and scientists, as well as our unique academic and research infrastructure, allows us to train students from African countries in a wide range of technologies: nuclear power engineering, nuclear medicine, nuclear safety, and radioecology. We are ready to expand our cooperation with the Republic of Nigeria," he said.
During the visit, members of the delegation also met with students from Nigeria who are currently studying at TPU and visited the laboratories at the engineering schools of the university.