Administrator

The Deputy Director General of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Shiloh Osae, on Tuesday June 4, 2019 welcomed the 5th batch of informal sector apprentices to undergo a Competency Based Training (CBT) programme in Consumer Electronics at GAEC.

The training programme is jointly sponsored by the Germany Government through the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Voucher Project (GTVP) and Council for Technical and Vocational Education (COTVET) in partnership with GAEC.

In his welcome address, Prof. Osae, assured the learners that GAEC is not a bomb manufacturing organization, but a government agency involved with the use of nuclear technology for the socio-economic development of Ghana.

He enumerated the various specialty areas available in GAEC including; Agriculture, Health, Space Science, Nuclear Power, specialized Research areas, Industrial applications, among others. “Our Scientists here work tirelessly to bring about new crop varieties, new ways of treating diseases, testing for water quality, environmental issues, the list is endless”, he added.

Prof. Osae was optimistic that the learners will take their studies seriously. “If you are able to complete the various courses and modules, you will obtain certificates that will enable you have job opportunities in big organizations. The consumer electronics industry sectors are all available to you”, he revealed.

A representative from GVTP, Mr. Isaac Boaten indicated that this programme is designed to equip those in the informal sector with literacy skills as well as sharpening their skills in their various vocations.

The Manager of the Technology Transfer and Marketing Center, Ms. Sheila Frimpong also encouraged the learners to be serious and be punctual as well as regular for classes. “You won’t get this anywhere, coming to acquire new skills, and on top of it, being given lunch and transportation every day. You must take full advantage of this golden opportunity given you”, she advised.

The programme was attended by representatives from GAEC including the Deputy Director of Administration, Mr. William Srekumah, The Human Resource Manager, Mr. Maxwell Nyarko and the Manager for Office of Corporate and Public Affairs, Mr. Mark Kwasi Sarfo. Also present were representatives from COTVET and executives of the Ghana Electronics Servicing Technicians Association.

By OCPA

The Deputy Minister of Environment Science Technology and Innovation and MP for Asokwa constituency, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei on Friday June 7, 2019 inaugurated the newly formed GAEC Ladies Association, at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission Auditorium in Accra.

The theme for the event was “Harnessing the Power of Synergy among Women to promote GAEC Agenda”.

Delivering the inaugural address, the Dep. Minister was extremely grateful to the leadership of the GAEC Ladies Association and Management of GAEC for the invitation.

She stated that GAEC’s Vision and Mission, positions the Commission to become the leading organization contributing to sustainable national prosperity through the effective utilization of nuclear, biotechnology and other related technologies, but this cannot be achieved without the contribution of women.

“There have been women engagements in various fields of expertise within the Commission including research, technical, administration and others”, she added.

Hon. Appiagyei lamented that although there is increasing gender diversity compared to two decades ago, she believes that more can be done to achieve great milestones as women. “Currently only one out of the ten Directors within the Commission is a woman. This observation is worse that the McKinsey 2018 ‘Women in Work’ report, where only one in five women make it to the C-Suite and the crucial gaps in the talent pipeline”, she revealed.

“The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission at 56 years has entered a new era of corporate development with responsiveness towards United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, she charged.

She opined that in this new era, GAEC Management in responding to SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, should eschew all forms of discrimination, violence and undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources among others.

She advised all the ladies to do away with the toxic culture of fear, uncertainty and self-interest. “There should exist a new culture where women support each other and develop their careers through hard work, dedication and integrity”, she encouraged.

Delivering a statement in solidarity with the women, the Director General of GAEC, Prof BJB Nyarko was glad for the formation of the association. “This will empower ladies in the Commission and is in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) agenda to increase women Staff at the top management of the Agency”, he said.

The Director General was mindful of the cost implications on personal lives of women who pursue greater career development and higher qualifications on the academic ladder.

He lamented on the low numbers of women in the core nuclear sciences. “Our current Staff strength is 890, down from 1030 a few years ago, mainly due non-replacement of retiring Staff. Out of this number, 271 representing 30% are women, but majority of this number are at GAEC hospital and the Basic School. Also, in 2019, out of a total of 233 Research Scientists, only 52 are females and out of 106 Technologists, only 16 are females, he enumerated.

The president of the GAEC Ladies Association and Director of the Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Prof Mary Boadu, in in her welcome address said the association was created in order to help organize female Staff of the Commission and ensure their active involvement in GAEC’s agenda and programmes in order to promote the development of women as a whole.

Also present at the inauguration were the Board Chairman of GAEC, Dr. Kweku Aning, the Chief Director of MESTI who doubles as a Board member of GAEC, Mrs. Levina Owusu, former Director General, Prof. J.H. Amoasi, Former Deputy Director General, Prof. Mrs. Victoria Appiah, Deputy Director General of GAEC, Prof. Shiloh Osae, Directors of Institute, Ghanaian ace broadcaster, Oheneyere Gifty Anti, Ghanaian musician and motivational speaker, Akosua Agyapong, representatives of GBC Ladies Association and the representative of the CEO of Cocobod, Madamme Agness Owusu Ansah.

Popular Ghanaian Journalist and Broadcaster, Oheneyere Gifty Anti, encouraged Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) ladies, at the inauguration of the GAEC Ladies Association on June 7, 2019, to strive for higher heights regardless of limitations imposed on them.

In her remarks at the ceremony, she said that the association is coming at a dicey time in Ghana where the gender fraternity is divided on some comments made by the President of the nation, H.E. Nana Addo Danquah Akuffu-Addo. “we need to do something to make our impact felt and clear all doubts in the minds of people”, she stated.

She hinted that the women need to employ the power of synergy which is a binding force that leaves no room for divisions. “It will be difficult to maintain women groups, but it is possible”, she added.

Ohene Yere revealed that women have to juggle between domestic and professional duties and are still required to produce the same results as their male counterparts. “Just at the time that you have to go for a programme, the baby starts to cry, do you do a quick breastfeeding or leave for the meeting, knowing that the nanny will have a difficult day if you don’t”, she asked.

She was very grateful to the Deputy Minister of Environment Science Technology and Innovation, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, for imparting some life lessons into her when as a journalist she interviewed the Minister some years ago.

She concluded by stating that when there are challenging times, GAEC Ladies Association should not be afraid to ask for help and counsel. “We are all here to help”, she reassured.

The Managing Director of Bajfreight and Logistics Limited, Mr. Eric Kofi Owusu, has praised the role of the Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in the training of occupationally exposed persons on how to protect themselves from the potential harmful effects of radiations and radioactive materials.

He made these remarks at the closing ceremony of a 3-day refresher training programme held at RPI, GAEC from May 13-15 2019, to train members of his Staff on Occupational Radiation Protection and Safety during transport of radioactive materials.

The course objectives among others were to equip the workers with basic radiation physics and adequately informing them of the effects of ionizing radiations. It was also aimed at teaching the workers on the possible health hazards associated with radiation and radioactive substances and training them on the basic principles of radiation protection and how they can apply them in their work environment and also during transportation.

Mr. Owusu opined that due to the potential hazards that radioactive sources pose to the workers and the public, during transportation of radioactive materials from one point to the other, it was essential that his team’s capacity was built and brought up-to-speed with current trends in safely transporting radioactive materials.

He revealed that they have benefited greatly from these trainings and this session is the company’s third time. “The benefits have been immense because it served as a refresher course for some of us and has taught the new trainees among us on how to work safely during transportation of radioactive materials”, he added.

He encouraged other freight forwarding companies to follow their footsteps to train their staff on safe handling and transportation of radioactive materials to avoid penalties and sanctions as well as reducing unnecessary radiation exposure to the public and workers.

Dr. Francis Otoo, a Senior Research Scientist of RPI and a Facilitator of the training programme said the Institute, will continue to offer training to all end users of radiation sources as well as companies involved in the transport of radioactive materials. He also commended the Bajfreight Logistics Limited for availing themselves for the training. He expressed confidence that the knowledge acquired by the trainees would be put into practice in order to ensure safety and security in the transport of radioactive sources/materials.

By: OCPA, GAEC

He made this statement at the World Biodiversity Day celebration, held at the Academy of Arts and Sciences auditorium in Accra, on May 22, 2019.

This year’s celebration was on the theme: Promoting our Indigenous Foods and Medicines, a Catalyst for Achieving the Ghana beyond Aid Agenda

In his introductory statements at the panel discussion session of the programme, Dr. Osae said that as humans, we have the luxury of selecting from a myriad of flora and fauna as food and medicine, but we also have the responsibility of maintaining the ecological balance that exists in nature. “All life forms are interlinked and interdependent. Something may be eating one thing today but can itself be food for another tomorrow, and we have the responsibility to protect this food web,” he added.

He lamented that Ghanaians in particular have not cared much about our biodiversity. He indicated that the indiscriminate use of pesticides has ravaged the population of many of the indigenous beneficial insects found in Ghana and this can be catastrophic if care is not taken. “Without the insects, pollination of most crops may not take place and without pollination, fruits which bear the seeds for the next generation cannot be produced”, he explained.

Dr. Osae further stated that the invasion of foreign species such as the fall armyworm could be attributed to human practices that have made our region conducive to these pests. “It is our responsibility to safeguard our own biodiversity and to protect it from invasive species”, he said.

The programme was attended by the Minister and Directors of the Ministry Environment Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI), representatives from the Traditional Medicine Association, representatives from the agencies of MESTI including Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Scientists involved with the protection of Ghanaian indigenous foods, members from the media, among others .

The Director General of GAEC Prof. B.J.B Nyarko inspecting the equipment at the RPI laboratory.

Ghana through the Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has taken delivery of a top-of-the-range fully automated ultramodern laboratory equipment for monitoring radon gas.

The equipment Radosys RadoMeter 2000, is a system that comes with full laboratory solutions for measuring deadly radon gas (which is the second leading cause of lung cancer apart from smoking) levels. It has an inbuilt fully automated Radosys Watch Dog software, Microscope, CR-39 passive detectors, among others.

Radosys RadoMeter 2000 laboratory equipment for measuring radon gas

In a short ceremony held at GAEC, in Accra, to officially receive the items, the Director of RPI, Prof. E.O Darko, disclosed that Ghana is now at par with top laboratories in Europe, Asia, North America and the rest of the world to ensure safe radon levels in offices, residential buildings as well as the mining, oil and gas, and other extractive industries.

“The facility is an ultra-modern device that will be used to measure the concentrations (levels) of Radon Gas in Buildings (i.e. homes, offices, factories etc.), underground mining sites, among others”, he added.

Prof. Darko explained that the facility is environmentally friendly and can perform multiple tasks concurrently in real time.

“This has by far taken away the troubles of manual sample analysis and it can measure approximately 400 to 1600 exposed detectors in a day”, he revealed.

A Senior Research Scientist at RPI, Dr. Francis Otoo, who initiated the project, said GAEC has now met all the conditions necessary to launch a nation-wide radon monitoring exercise as well as mapping campaigns in Ghana and neighboring countries.

He disclosed that as part of the process to start using the equipment, a radon specialist from Radosys Atlantic, Portugal, helped in the installation of the equipment and also engaged selected RPI Scientists and Technologists in a weeklong training programme on its use.

Dr. Otoo stated that GAEC is not keen on the financial benefits of the facility per se, but is focused on finding solutions or reducing the risks associated with deadly radon gas which comes as a result of the decay of naturally occurring uranium present in the soil. This gas then emanates into enclosed areas such as rooms, offices, mining sites, etc. and can cause lung cancer in exposed persons.

The Director General of GAEC, Prof. BJB Nyarko, in a short statement commended RPI for the establishment of the laboratory and said this development has placed Ghana ahead of other African countries as part of efforts to enhance health and safety in radiation monitoring.

The radon Specialist, Paulo Gustavo Alecrim Norte Pinto, from Radosys Atlantic, Portugal, also commended Ghana for taking this bold step to obtain this multi-tasking automated RadoMeter 2000 facility. He expressed confidence in the rich human resource available at GAEC, and said he has no doubt that the facility will be fully utilized by Ghana.

He called on other African countries to emulate Ghana’s example to help fight lung cancers as a result of inhalation of this deadly gas.

By: Thykingdom Kudesey, Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA)-GAEC

Dr. Paulina Amponsah, Manager of National Data Centre, GAEC.

An engineer with the National Data Centre of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has said that the Earthquakes Ghana continues to experience is caused by movement along fault lines, known as Intraplate Earthquakes.

Dr. Paulina Amponsah said this when she delivered a presentation on the history, causes and effects of Earthquakes in Ghana and suggested recommendations on how to prevent and reduce the risks associated with Earthquakes in the country.

The program was put together by the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) on Thursday at the Engineers Centre, Roman Ridge, Accra to discuss the recent Earthquakes in Accra.

Giving the history of Earthquakes in Ghana, Dr. Paulina Amponsah said, “Ghana is far away from the major Earthquake zones of the World, however, the country is seismically active and therefore prone to earthquake disasters”.

She narrated that the first earthquake recorded in Ghana was in 1615 and the event was located in Elmina, where a fortress was destroyed. In 1636, an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck the country at Axim, where some miners were buried alive.

In 1862, another earthquake struck the country in Accra with a magnitude of 6.5, in which 3 people were killed and destroyed many structures.

According to Dr. Amponsah, a severe earthquake struck the country in 1906, 1939, 1964, 1969, 1997 and 2003.

She added that recently, earth tremors have been recorded on March 24, 2018, December 9, 2018, January 2019, February 2019 and the most recent one occurred on March 2, 2019. She said all these tremors recorded a magnitude less than 4.

The discussion revealed that residents of Kasoa, Awutu-Senya, Weija-Gbawe, McCarthy Hills, Adenta and other areas located near the intersection of the two major faults zones in the country, namely, the Akwapim fault zone and the Coastal boundary fault zone are prone to Seismic activities, hence earthquake is high in occurrence.

She recommended that for our country to be resilient to earthquake disasters, we must be proactive in our planning process both local and national levels.

Another speaker for the day, Ing. Dr. Nii Allotey, also suggested that a serious national decision to make on earthquake disaster is “CHANGE”. “Many countries have learned their lessons the hard way. A country puts earthquake mitigation aside at its own peril”, he added.
Michael Obeng-Konadu, who also spoke on the human elements in earthquakes also stressed that the anthropogenic activities that increase earthquakes effects include poorly engineered buildings on steep slopes, sand winning activities and rock quarrying including the use of explosives at the base of slopes, farming activities at base of slopes, obstruction of natural drainage and absence of properly designed slope protection measures in populated hill-site areas.

On her part, the Past President of GhIE, who is the current President-elect for Federation of African Engineering Organization (FAEO), Carlien Bou-Chedid suggested that the country puts a deliberate plan to ensure that all public buildings are retrofitted to be able to stand earthquake and tremors.

She advised the public that in the event of an earthquake, they should remain calm, drop down, take cover, as soon as the ground shaking stops, leave the buildings and stay out in the opens and not immediately return to buildings because there could be aftershocks.

Giving the closing remarks, the Executive Director of GhIE, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong called on Municipal, District Assemblies and Departments responsible for permits to build to ensure the right professionals are consulted to minimize the risks and damages that earthquakes and tremors cause in the country.

Present at the program included the President of GhIE, Alexander Leslie Ayeh, Council members of GhIE, Past Presidents of GhIE, members from sister professional bodies, Fire Service, NADMO and the media.

Source: ghanaweb.com

The Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) with support from the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Ghana, has carried out a 3-day radiation safety-training programme for selected Radiofrequency professionals in the telecommunication industry.

The core objective of the course was to implement radiation training and certification modules to effectively protect humans and the environment from radiation hazards.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the RPI conference room in Accra Ghana, to officially open the training programme, and welcome all participants selected from private and government institutions, the Deputy Director General of GAEC, Prof. Shiloh Osae, stressed on the need to ensure safety especially in the radiation industry

Prof. Shiloh took his time to educate all the participants on GAEC’s core activities and their impact on national development. He urged them to erase all their erroneous perceptions about GAEC being a manufacturer of bombs and spread the word about the cutting edge science going on. He added that the commission’s research activities provide solutions to many sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

In a short address to the participants, the Deputy Director of RPI, Dr. Joseph Kwabena Amoako, disclosed that the goal of the programme is to collaborate with local and international experts to develop an internationally recognized competency-based curriculum to train professionals involved in the use of radiation.

He added that the initiative is also to train industry players to avoid potentially hazardous exposures to radiation from radioactive sources and Radiofrequency (RF) fields. “This will ensure that certified trainees can use the internationally recognized certification anywhere”, he disclosed.

The participants were taken through various subjects including Radio Frequency (RF) Site Safety, Types of RF Radiation, Introduction to Antennas and RF sources and Radiation Safety Assessment. Other areas covered include RF Safety Regulations and Standards.

The initial beneficiaries of the programme include selected officers from the Signal Unit of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), The National Communication Authority, Vodafone Ghana Limited, Helios Towers Ghana Limited and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

By: Thykingdom Kudesey – Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA), GAEC

The Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof B.J.B. Nyarko has called for maximum attention on Safety, Security and Safeguards in the use of Nuclear Technology in Africa.

Prof. Nyarko made the call in a ceremony held at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), GAEC, in Accra Ghana, to welcome the 8^thbatch of the annual Post Graduate Education Course (PGEC) in Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources for participants from English speaking African countries, under the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA)

The participants, numbering 22 comprising eight females and 14 males were selected from countries including Ghana, Egypt, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Libya, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Namibia and South Africa.

According to Prof Nyarko, safety issues in Africa are unique due to the negative connotations associated with accidents. He stated that accidents in Africa are usually blamed on incompetence, lack of technical know-how as well as inadequate capacity building programmes, whereas similar accidents by countries in other regions are usually treated as genuine faults.

“This puts Africa in a unique position to work harder to avoid these accidents”, he said.

The programme according to him was developed under the regional corporative framework for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology to tackle areas such as Health, Agriculture and Environment as well as Safety and Security, especially for countries embarking on Nuclear Power Programmes.

He stressed on the need to avoid making mistakes in nuclear applications in order to place Africa in a positive light. He advised the participants to take their lessons seriously so as to achieve the desired standards in safety, security, and safeguards as well as peaceful applications of Nuclear Technology in Africa.

“You cannot do the same thing always and expect a different result, you need to change and have better ways of doing those things to achieve the required results”, he said.

He commended the AFRA Technical Cooperation (TC) member states for committing a total of four hundred thousand Euros (€ 400,000) to sponsor beneficiaries from within the African Sub-region.

The Director and Dean for the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS) Prof. Yaw Serfor- Armah, in his address, entreated the students to strictly adhere to the safety regulations by the school.

He finally welcomed them and advised that they take full advantage to this glorious opportunity given them and take their training programme seriously.

The five months training programme commenced on 1st April, 2019 and scheduled to end 23rd August 2019.

By: Thykingdom Kudesey – Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA), GAEC

Picture: Dr Kwamina Banson (middle, with black shirt) explains a point to two farmers working at the demonstration fields.

Food. It’s the most basic of human needs and two doctors from Ghana, who earned their PhDs while studying in Australia, are working to address the critical issue of food productivity.

Dr Kwamina Banson and Dr Andrew Appiah are revolutionising how technology can address hunger and food nutrition in their home country. In doing so, they’re supporting the world’s goal to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal 2).

Through their work at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), the doctors are applying science on several fronts, including to improve plant variability, combat pests and diseases, increase production and safeguard food safety and authenticity.

The work is challenging since many who live in Ghana depend on traditional or linear approaches to farming.

Dr Banson, with his Doctor of Philosophy (Business) from the University of Adelaide, is tackling this through his advanced understanding of a ‘systems-thinking approach’. Applying a holistic perspective, Dr Banson, Head of Technology Transfer at BNARI, is identifying factors and processes that shape and constrain traditional farming systems. He is also developing solutions to enhance productivity and make farming sustainable.

“My interventions attempt to increase genetic variability of plants that are resistant to vector or disease, thereby increasing their value,” Dr Banson says.

On a separate but connected project, Dr Appiah, Plant Virologist at BNARI, is identifying the root causes of decreased food production. The skills on plant disease diagnostics he gained while earning his Doctor of Philosophy (Agricultural Science, major in plant virology) from the University of Tasmania, have been critical to this work.

“I use technology to effectively screen peanuts for resistance and have introduced four resistant varieties to farmers,” says Dr Appiah, who is also screening dozens of variants of cassava and pepper to identify resistant strains.

With Africa’s population projected to hit 1.7 billion people by 2030 (United Nations), investing in innovative technologies and practices, such as those practised by Dr Banson and Dr Appiah, are going a long way in boosting food production and strengthening Ghana’s ability to achieve food security.

The doctors have received considerable support for their catalytic initiatives. The GAEC, for example, has provided them with 200 acres of land as demonstration fields. The land is being used by 200 farmers to grow new high-yielding strains of cocoa and cassava. Another 300 farmers are hiring or using their land as demonstration farms to grow seeds supplied by Dr Banson and Dr Appiah.

Initiatives like these will take the world a long way to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.

Source: ustraliaawardsafrica.org