Some members of the Ghana Institute of Engineers, Accra, have called on the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the Oil and Gas Sector to develop human capacity for local content jobs.
The concerned engineers made the call at a recent lecture delivered by Scientists of the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI), GAEC, on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technologies and applications.
NDT is a technique that ensures that the structural integrity of systems are maintained even after work is done on them. It ensures that no damage is done to parts being worked on. Thistechnology requires the use of radiation among others, to detect cracks, corrosion and leakages in pipes and tanks.
The growing need for NDT technology and services in the offshore Oil and Gas sector has necessitated local engineers to demand for the building of human capacity in the area of NDT technologies to offer offshore NDT services.
Speaking in an interview, Fredric Emmanuel Awuku Bekoe, an Engineer and a member of the Ghana Institute of Engineers disclosed that he was impressed with the activities carried out at GAEC.
He acknowledged that GAEC has proven that it has competent human resource in the field of NDT. However, he lamented that Ghana has not secured enough jobs that use NDT within the offshore Oil and Gas sector.
“Petty Offshore jobs are still awarded to foreign companies because the locals do not have the resources to carry out such jobs. But from the lessons learnt I could tell that GAEC is capable of doing beyond what they are doing currently if government can support”, he said.
He added that it is about time GAEC moved from the onshore services to secure other offshore jobs. Mr. Bekoe further added that most of the generated revenue will remain in Ghana if Government can equip GAEC to extend services beyond its reach.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
“Ghana’s developmental dreams will be short-lived without a constant supply of electricity to power industries”. Dr. Mensah made this statement on a working visit to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), to ascertain the effective use of Nuclear Technology in national development.
Dr. Mensah is a Ghanaian-American chemical engineer who works in fiber optics and nanotechnology. He has to his credit, fourteen (14) patents, of which seven (7) were awarded within a period of six years. He was inducted into the US National Academy of Inventors in 2015.
In an interview during his tour, he spoke passionately about the rich mineral and human resource potentials that Ghana can tap into, for its development without relying on foreign aid. He stressed that Ghana’s industrialization requires the building of factories with uninterrupted power supply.
He reiterated the need for nuclear power supply in Ghana as a sustainable option to meet Ghana’s energy needs especially for industry.
He mentioned that the Silicon Valley project for Ghana was launched in January 2017 aspart of Ghana’s efforts to bridge the technology gap in the country. He added that it will work hand in hand with GAEC to create businesses (in accelerators and incubators) that can compete with tech-companies around the world. According to him, “The Silicon Valley of Ghana will, move Ghana into the 21stCentury’s technological advancement and also specifically support the high Speed Bullet Train that is being developed in Ghana”. He added that there is an initiative to also look at generating electricity from waste.
Speaking on Agriculture and food preservation in Ghana, Dr. Mensah noted that his outfit would work with experts from GAEC, employing GAEC’s Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) to control post-harvest losses by irradiating crops for longer shelf lives. Thus, such crops could be exported to other countries to generate revenue.
He used the opportunity to tour some laboratories and facilities at GAEC.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has advanced in its research to help bring under control the invasion of farms by Fall Armyworms across the country.
The manager at the Radiation Entomology and Pest Management Centre (REPMC) of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agricultural Research Institute (BNARI) of GAEC, Dr. Michael Osae said, GEAC with its expertise in research would not remain silent on the fall armyworm menace. He said his outfit has established a fall armyworm colony in one of their insectaries to help carryout research on their basic biology and ecology as well as evaluating several management options.
According to him, the existing fall armyworm management tools being used in other parts of the world may not be effective in Ghana and other West African countries due to their different ecological conditions and weather patterns. This he said, warrants the need to evaluate all such existing management tools and other indigenous tools available to us.
‘Recently GAEC was contracted by a company (name withheld) to conduct bio-efficacy trials on a new product meant to control Fall Armyworms and the outcome was very successful’, he said. He added that the product would be registered and will soon hit the markets.
The Fall Armyworm is an insect commonly known to feed on maize and over 80 other crop species including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
The insect was first detected in Ghana in 2016 and has wreaked havoc on several farms and posed a major challenge to farmers across the regions.
Mrs. Diana Marri a research scientist responsible for the fall armyworm colony at REPMC, GAEC, said studies have shown that the insect could survive all the Ghanaian whether conditions.
She disclosed that unlike other species, the Fall Armyworms have no special periods to lay eggs. ‘They mate and start laying eggs immediately after they become adults’, she added.
She called on farmers to do well to provide information on the characteristics of the pest on their farms in order to help researchers (in GAEC and other organizations) develop workable solutions under our peculiar conditions.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak (4th left), in an interaction with Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng (3rd left), Dr Kweku Anning (left), the Board Chair of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and Dr Dazhu Yang (2nd left). Picture: Maxwell Ocloo
Nuclear scientists and experts are meeting in Accra to review the efforts of member states of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research and Development and Training (AFRA) related to nuclear science and technology for the peaceful promotion of nuclear technology in development.
The participants will also review the AFRA agreement and deepen collaboration for the full benefit of nuclear science in development.
The five-day meeting, which is the 29th Technical Working Group of AFRA, is being organised by AFRA, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and hosted by Ghana.
Research funding
Addressing the opening session yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, announced that the government was looking for an appropriate piece of land for a nuclear power plant that would add about 4,500 megawatts (MW) to the country’s power generation capacity.
He said the land for the nuclear power plant must, among several other considerations, be resilient to earthquakes and flooding.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the government would sustainably increase funding for research and development until funding for the sector reached appreciable levels of 2.5 per cent of the budget.
He said innovations in science and technology were the basis of most developed countries, hence the commitment of the government to support science and research through increased funding.
He noted that the focus of AFRA, which is to build capacity in nuclear science across member states, was in “sync with Ghana’s current development agenda which puts human development at the centre”.
Safety
The Deputy Director General of the IAEA, Dr Dazhu Yang, who also addressed the meeting, expressed happiness that the meeting would discuss radiation safety and the deployment of nuclear innovation in health and agriculture.
For him, the inability of some member states to conform to safety requirements limited their ability to fully enjoy the full potential of nuclear science in their strides to develop.
He was also happy that the group would discuss the AFRA agreement and pledged the continued support of the IAEA through collaboration with Africa through the group.
Dr Yang reminded the group of current dynamics, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s (AU’s) Vision 2030 and urged the participants to take all of them into consideration in any review they did.
The IAEA Technical Cooperation Africa Director, Mr Shaukat Abdulrazak, in his remarks, encouraged member states to collaborate more and demystify nuclear science for the benefit and awareness of their citizens.
He said there were various opportunities open in the sector and urged member states to improve upon their modes and quality of reporting for the telling of better nuclear science in development stories.
Meeting
The Chairperson of AFRA, Mr Sabbiti Baguma, in his statement, said the meeting would provide the participants with a platform for them to reflect on the AFRA agreement and the way forward.
He reminded the group of previous decisions and expressed the hope that conclusions would be reached for the next major meeting of the IAEA in the course of the year.
The Chairperson for the opening ceremony, Dr Kweku Aning, noted that Ghana had lagged behind in the deployment of nuclear technology for development and expressed the hope that the situation would change, given the cooperation among members.
AFRA
AFRA came into being on April 4, 1990 to provide a framework for African member states of the IAEA to intensify their collaboration through programmes and projects on nuclear science and technology.
The Director of the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) of GAEC, Professor Dickson Adomako, has disclosed that the Radio Astronomy Observatory at Kuntunse, a suburb of Accra is set to provide jobs for graduates in the areas of Space Science and Technology for the next 50 years.
The Radio Astronomy Observatory was inaugurated in August 2017. It is mainly for research into Earth’s solar system and space in general
Speaking on the importance of the radio telescope to Ghana, he indicated that the facility will help boost activities in the areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineering, Scientific tourism and Astronomy.
He added that the facility would also help students to effectively participate in Global research.
Prof. Adomako disclosed that, Ghana would soon embark on a mega space science project that will create employment for thousands of Ghanaians in the areas of Space Science and Technology. The project according to him is to be started in the year 2022 and expected to last for a period of 50 years.
“The project is to build three thousand (3000) smaller telescopes at 50 newly created base stations where it will be operated”, he added.
Responding to issues of safety, the GSSTI boss said that there is no cause for alarm since the facility receives signals that are not harmful to the public.
He advised students to take up Courses in Space Science and Technology at pure science-based universities such as the graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), in order to tap into the employment opportunities to be created.
He stressed that the project will provide employment opportunities in the areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mechanical Engineering as well as Software Chain Engineering which students must consider pursuing.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
Ghana can expect nuclear energy as a major source of power production by 2029, as plans are far advanced to ensure the country diversifies its energy mix to meet projected demands, a source at the Ministry of Energy has disclosed.
“Government is also looking at the nuclear option. There is so much work being done on that front; so hopefully by 2029 or thereabouts, it’s possible we may have energy from nuclear sources as well,” the source said.
Following attempts to diversify the country’s energy mix with the introduction of solar sources, government is exploring the contribution of nuclear energy – having set up a Nuclear Regulatory Authority to spearhead the implementation of Ghana’s Nuclear Power Programme (NPP).
Already, the country has passed all 19 infrastructural requirements to be considered for the commencement of an NPP, which is the first of three phases required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before the development of a national infrastructure for nuclear power.
Speaking to the B&FT on the sidelines of a Petroleum Commission data management workshop in Accra, the source explained that as a result of increasing and projected demands on petroleum products to power our thermal plants for the provision of electricity, government is increasingly exploring alternate sources of energy to ensure that installed capacity is enough to meet peak demand at all times.
He added that the move will also avert reoccurrence of the power crises which hit the country between 2012 and 2016.
“Thermal and nuclear are both sources of generation, and the idea is that they need to complement each other. Our petroleum resources may need to be stepped-up otherwise we are going to have a decline in the production, so definitely government should have an alternative source of energy,” he said.
The source revealed that a lot has been done along with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission to ensure the development of nuclear energy for power becomes a success.
Government, in its quest to find alternate sources of power, has already announced plans to scale-up the penetration of renewable energy in the system with a plan to hit 300megawatts of solar by 2020. For this reason, the Bui Power Authority has completed expansion works on its switchyard to accommodate 250MW of solar energy; a move which is in line with Ghana’s vision of increasing renewable energy to about 10 percent of the country’s energy-mix.
The exploration of nuclear energy as yet another alternative source fits perfectly in this agenda as traditional energy sources plateau, following projections from Ghana’s energy demands for the much-awaited ‘industrial revolution’.
With a possible contribution of about 1,200 megawatts per power plant, nuclear energy is therefore seen as a viable option in diversifying the country’s energy-mix to meet future demands.
The Deputy Director of the Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of GAEC, Dr. Joseph Amoako, has cautioned the public over the negative impact of Radon gas inhalation on human health.
Dr. Amoako, who spoke in an interview, described the situation as worrying since the public does not know of Radon gas and its potential devastating effects on human health.
He described Radon gas simply as naturally occurring gas found in rock and soils. These substances are capable of causing lung cancer and other degenerative diseases in humans.
According to him radon gas is mostly emitted from underground, especially through tiny invisible cracks in the floor of buildings. He stressed the need for a law that that ensures radon gas concentration tests on particular sites before buildings are put up.
Responding to questions on how it affects unsuspecting victims, he explained that the radon concentrations become very high in a room that has been locked up for hours without proper ventilation, especially at locations that may have high radon concentrations. “So it is advisable to open your doors and windows to allow natural ventilation to take place before you turn on the air-conditioners or funs”, he added.
He furthered explained that this practice can reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other infections attributed to the inhalation of radon gas.
Dr. Amoako stressed on the need for a national policy that regulates the monitoring of radon gas levels before buildings are put up at various locations across the country.
“Unlike other developed countries around the world, checking for Radon levels at building construction sites in Ghana is voluntary. It is compulsory for estate developers in other countries so Ghana must encourage it”, he added.
He called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scientific Institutions and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to work on a regulatory framework that will ensure that strict radon gas testing procedure is adhered to before building construction works begin.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
The National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has called for the use of Non Destructive Testing (NDT) Technology in industry to avoid potential disasters.
Director of Institute, Dr. Gorman Ofosu said the solution to the incessant gas and fuel station explosions in the country to some extent lies with NDT technology.
Speaking at a forum last Wednesday at the Ghana Institute of Engineers and Planners in Accra to introduce NDT technology to some engineers and key industry stakeholders, he threw light on unprofessional practices in the sector.
According to him, most artisans especially welders are not privy to NDT technology to test the integrity of their welds which exposes the public to danger.
He disclosed that aside from outreach programmes organized by his outfit to educate field experts, GAEC’s Technology Transfer and Marketing Centre (TTMC) are also working to spread the word.
This is being done in collaboration with COTVET and support from the Dutch Government, is currently running a Competence Based Training Programme (CBT) for artisans in some professions including Welding, across the country with emphases on NDT Technology.
Dr Ofosu was confident that the risks associated with the conventional method will be reduced through consistent education of artisans and experts in the industry.
A former Deputy Director of NNRI-GAEC, Dr Kweku Aboagye Danso, said that NDT is a nuclear application used to detect hidden cracks and leakages in gas pipelines, fuel tanks, aircrafts and Mining installations among others.
According to him, the technology has a proven high level of efficiency for the early detection of leakages and corrosion in underground and surface pipelines. This, he said, will help avoid disasters as a result of leakages.
He advised that precautionary measures are taken to manage the situation since cracks and rust in tanks and pipelines are not easily identified.
A Senior Research Scientist, Dr Hannah Affum of GAEC also stated that the Commission is well positioned to meet the quality assurance and control as well as materials testing needs of Ghanaian processing and manufacturing industries.
The five years Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has targeted improvements in the Health and Agriculture sectors in Ghana.
The CSP that will be GAEC’s strategic operational document till December 2021 as part of it’s focused areas will facilitate the Establishment of Strategic National Facilities and Institutions.
The Director of Administration at GAEC, Mr. Felix Adeku in an interview disclosed that the commission would see to the building and supply of state-of-the art equipment for a Radiological Emergency Centre (REC) at GAEC as per the CSP’s objective. He added that the Commission would facilitate the construction of a Radiotherapy and Nuclear Imaging Facility at GAEC.
‘GAEC would also facilitate the building of two Radiotherapy centers in Tamale and Takoradi.’ He revealed. This he said would help give a major boost to the health sector of Ghana as far as the treatment of cancer and other related diseases are concerned.
Addressing some key challenges in Ghana’s Agriculture sector, Mr. Adeku disclosed that the Commission would enter into Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to establish a Gamma Irradiation Facility for food preservation against post-harvest losses. He added that the facility would also be used for sterilizing medical equipment in those key locations in Ghana
On his part, the Director General (DG) of GAEC Prof. Benjamin Nyarko is optimistic that the CSP will encourage the development and management of high-level human resource at all levels by providing training and education in nuclear and allied sciences for national development.
According to the DG, GAEC is in a process of upgrading the graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS) to a fully-fledged University to intensify training within the five-year period.
Finally, he appealed to the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to grant SNAS a presidential charter to enable it run as an autonomous University that undertakes Nuclear Science and Technology in Ghana.
By: Thykingdom Kudesey / Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA) – GAEC
