The Information Tracking System (ITS), a major deliverable from the ISTC – implemented EU Project MC5.01/15B Support to Southern African States in Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, developed by Software Company, will be tested through real time shipments from DRC through Zambia to Zimbabwe, in the period from 22 through 26 November 2021. ITS was installed for the purpose of tracking and monitoring of uranium oxide concentrate (UOC) and other radioactive materials transportation across the territory of multiple African states. The vehicle tracking system offers a total security and fleet management solution. This IT tool is used to determine the location of a vehicle using different methods like GPS and other navigation system operating via satellite and ground based stations.

The system will track three vehicles during the exercise, in their voyage from Lubumbashi, DRC to Beitbridge Zimbabwe/RSA border. Each vehicle will have a GPS device mounted at all times, enabling the ITS to monitor its location. There are a total of 26 stop points during the journey, including the start, border and endpoints. Administrators from each country will monitor the shipment in the ITS platform, and drivers will also use the mobile application to provide updates and alerts. All experts will also use the Zoom platform for coordination and monitoring daily.

At the border point in Kasubalesa between DRC and Zambia CNPRI, the DRC nuclear regulator, and the Radiation Protection Authority of Zambia held a working meeting on the application of the bilateral Memorandum on exchange of information that was approbated for the first time though the ongoing exercise. Each regulatory body of the participating countries is in charge of the monitoring on its territory. The experts will respectively update the information in the ITS so that the tracking will not be interrupted.