Our Induction Into  Office Commences   A New Era Of  Leadership At GAEC  ....Professor Samuel Boakye Dampare Declares

The Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Professor Samuel Boakye Dampare, has stated that the induction of him and his Deputy Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Dickson Adomako into office commences a new era of leadership at the GAEC.

According to him, the two personalities have what it takes to improve socio-economic development and the growth of the commission.

He indicated that under their administration they will ensure that the Commercialisation and Communication Directorate (CCD) will be adequately resourced to increase educational outreach programs, media, and stakeholder engagements through sensitization programs as well as facilitate the publication of research findings in reputable peer-reviewed journals. 

"Establishing, improving, and modernizing infrastructure to enhance research, development, and innovation by encouraging private sector participation in infrastructure development. These include but are not limited to the establishment of nuclear-related health and energy facilities and expansion of laboratories, educational facilities, and residential accommodation. 

"For example, to contribute effectively to cancer care delivery in the area of early detection and diagnosis, GAEC will explore all avenues and take the lead step within the sub-region by establishing a comprehensive Medical Imaging Centre to drive research-based healthcare delivery. This will advance research performance in radiation medicine and cancer care and also serve as a national cancer registry, collecting quality data to shape cancer policy," he asserted.

He envisaged introducing a new paradigm and would greatly contribute to cancer control by encouraging prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and enhanced treatment of all forms of cancers, thereby reducing late-stage cancer presentations which are very difficult to manage. 

According to him, the managing Centre will also be equipped with facilities to serve as a Centre for taking care of radiation emergencies.

He pointed out that the GAEC is committed to leading this charge of establishing an ultra-modern comprehensive medical imaging Centre that will include radiological health infrastructure to support medical research and cancer control in Ghana.

He stated that Ghana with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) established a Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) in 1988 for radiation protection level calibration of radiation measuring instruments. 

He indicated that the SSDL at GAEC is the only laboratory in West Africa that is a member of the IAEA/World Health Organisation (WHO) SSDL network. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, with the increase in the application of nuclear technologies in Ghana and West Africa, it is important that the SSDL be modernized.

He said the were among the numerous benefits that could be derived from the refurbishment and expansion of the SSDL is improved capacity to provide calibration services for the oil and gas industry, hospitals and clinics, road construction companies, mining companies, etc., as well as Ghana’s upcoming nuclear power industry. 

According to him, the calibration of these detectors is a regulatory requirement for the continuous operation of these industries or sectors. 

Additionally, he noted that the modernized SSDL will serve as a resource Centre for the training of Ghanaian scientists and engineers, the military, custom officers, and other security agencies as well as IAEA Fellows in radiation detection and advanced radiation dosimetry.

He added that the  Laboratory space and land are available for the expansion of the existing SSDL.

He pointed out that the IAEA is committed to providing free technical advice and experts to ensure implementation of the project and the Government of Ghana is expected to fund the infrastructure and equipment of the SSDL, which are estimated to be about 5 million Ghana cedis.

He noted that the Commission will need the government’s strong financial support to implement these and the other infrastructural projects a reality. Contribute to Ghana’s energy mix by facilitating the implementation of the Ghana nuclear power project through the deepening of partnership among stakeholders such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG)/Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organization (GNPPO), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), and implementing various strategic policy programs meant for the realization of sustainable energy. 

According to him, this includes supporting human resource development, environmental impact assessment, and baseline studies of environmental parameters relating to nuclear power development in Ghana. 

He pointed out that the environmental parameters relating to nuclear power development in Ghana contribute to food production and post-harvest management Mr. Chairman, considering the Government of Ghana’s agenda of increased food production underpinned, and bearing in mind that Ghana and the entire ECOWAS sub-region have entered into an economic partnership agreement with the European Union in which a lot of Ghanaian export will enter the EU market at duty-free quotas, it is important to put in place the infrastructure that makes Ghanaian produce are of high quality and are commercially competitive.

 The GAEC, he said having expertise in biotechnology applications in agriculture and post-harvest technology, will continue to offer research and extensions services in the agricultural sector and seek to revamp its Gamma Irradiation Facility to help reduce post-harvest losses and increase shelve life of farm produce. 

This, according to him is, therefore, places a responsibility on the Government of Ghana to, among others, expand the tissue culture facilities and establish Gamma Irradiation Facilities with the support of GAEC at strategic locations of the country to mitigate post-harvest losses and boost food production in the country. 

"In my new role, I will work to contribute to Ghana’s Research and Development (R&D), and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by adequately resourcing and enhancing the capacity of the School of Nuclear and Allied Science (SNAS) to educate and train significant numbers of scientists and technologists to the highest academic level of Ph.D. that will provide our nation and continent with a cadre of experts in nuclear and allied sciences and applications. 

He underscored that the Commission intends to improve or leverage space science applications for socio-economic development, adding that the Conversion of the 32-meter telecommunications antenna to a radio telescope at the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory - Kuntunse, strategically positioned in Ghana, has enabled the Commission to contribute to international space research, education and training, and foreign direct investment. 

The expansion of these facilities to include a ground receiving station and other colocation projects (e.g., hosting equipment of satellite operators) will enable Ghana to significantly benefit economically through maritime surveillance, land administration, meteorology, agricultural statistics, e-governance, geo-information, and telecommunication for Mining/Energy/Oil and Gas industries, e-health, etc. 

With the advancement of computational technology and the global trend of digitalization coupled with the Government of Ghana’s policy direction in this area, Prof. Dampare noted that GAEC has no option but to immerse itself in such technologies and take full advantage of the efficiency they provide. 

Given these, he stated that the commission will invest in ICT infrastructure that will aid in efficient data generation, storage, and processing.  

Further, in the medium to long term, Prof. Dampare asserted that the commission will digitalize all of GAEC’s administrative and operational processes. 

"These we believe will facilitate the work of the Commission and bring about improved productivity. Ladies and Gentlemen, it may interest you to know that computational science, modeling, simulation, and the resurgence of artificial intelligence (AI) have become a widely considered option and the new paradigm of science. The integration of AI with Big Data is considered the fourth industrial revolution or fourth paradigm of science," Prof. Dampare noted.

He emphasized the importance of these emerging technologies, particularly in nuclear sciences and applications to the benefit of society.

Going forward, he added that the Commission will identify and capitalize on its numerous expertise and competitive advantages to advance its research capacity to continually create relevant, groundbreaking, cutting–edge and solutions-oriented research that addresses economic, environmental, food and agriculture, health, industrial and energy challenges in Africa and beyond. 

"I will continue to strengthen the Commission’s governance system to create a conducive environment that will ensure the realization of our strategic objectives. I am aware of the huge financial requirements to establish these plans. 

"We, therefore, implore all our stakeholders, particularly government, corporate Ghana, donor agencies, and international collaborators, to provide funding and technical support towards the realization of these projects, which will lead to great benefits for Ghana and Africa. The successful implementation of the aforementioned initiatives will require an all-hands-on-deck approach.  

He added that "We will reach out to the scientific community, collaborators, and partners (national and international) and staff to seek their buy-in and support towards the advancement of various programs, projects and policies of the Commission to conquer new heights and expand our sphere of influence. 

According to him, they need to be engaged in research that has an impact on the socio-economic development of their country and continent.

Prof. Dampare emphasized that "we need to position ourselves in the comity of nuclear and scientific organizations as worthy contributors to the global intellectual framework and not mere receivers of that system,' 

He asserted that "If we are to achieve these, it will require a change of attitude and perspectives, building shared values and a motivational system to ensure a sense of institutional ownership by all stakeholders of the Commission. "

"Under his leadership, he said he will work hard with all their stakeholders – internally and externally, to ensure that all we do are anchored on this new paradigm and most importantly GAEC’s Corporate Strategic Goals of a) Enhancement of research, development, and innovation for national development) Upscale income generation activities to support development objectives;c) Develop and manage high-level human resources in nuclear and allied sciences d) Improve and modernize infrastructure for the enhancement of research e) Facilitate the establishment of strategic national institutions and facilities f) improve the corporate image of GAEC."

He pointed out that they would consolidate the successes of his predecessors and chart new paths.

Following this development, he called on all of "us to get involved – as active, reliable and trustworthy players, in the building of the GAEC we will all love to see, a GAEC that we will all be proud of, a GAEC that posterity will be kind to, and a GAEC that the next generation will be happy with the positive impact we have made."

Against this background, Prof. Dampare stressed that "All of us must eschew cynicism, unprofessional and unproductive conduct, laissez-faire attitude, wait-and-see attitude, and embrace the notion of positive change, institutional renewal, and innovation.

According to him, this will be an era that demands discipline, hard work, accountability, collective ownership of the vision, and a renewed commitment to excellence.