The President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, has commended the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for their tremendous contribution to the country's health and agriculture sectors.

He said the establishment of two radiotherapy and nuclear medicine centres at the Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals for instance was enough indicator of the significant part that GAEC had played in the national economy.

The President stated this in an address read on his behalf at the inauguration of the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences at Kwabenya near Accra.

The Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences of University of Ghana is a research-intensive institution aimed, among other things, to promote postgraduate training in nuclear technology, human resource and industrial development.

The school commenced in 2006 and currently runs eight accredited programmes, including Applied Nuclear Physics, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Medical Physics and Nuclear Agriculture and Radiation Processing.

President Kufuor underscored the significant contribution of GAEC in the facilitation of research into peaceful applications of nuclear energy and training of engineers for future generation of electricity.

"Since the acquisition of a reactor in 1995, the commission has effectively utilised the facility in the analysis of geological, medical, biological and industrial materials for various sectors of the economy," the President noted.

He congratulated all stakeholders whose efforts led to the establishment of the school and expressed the hope that the school would be capable of providing the needed solution to the country's socio-economic and industrial problems.

The Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Edward Akaho, announced that the commission was establishing an Accelerator Facility for Sustainable National Development as a means of strengthening the building of human capacity for the application of nuclear science and technology.

"The facility will promote training, research and the efficient application of technology to archaeological specimen, materials engineering and forensic sciences," he remarked.

Prof. Akaho also expressed conviction that the commissionn's nuclear power would make a significant contribution to the growth of national electricity production in view of the realisation of tangible economic benefits of nuclear energy.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Clifford Tagoe, noted that for the country to sustain or improve upon its pace of growth and development, there was the need for the adoption of new technologies as a benchmark for development of the human resource base.

He, therefore, charged the school to increase its exploration and output of research findings in order to improve upon the use of nuclear energy and biotechnology to enhance development.


Source: Graphic