The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission held its 17th Annual Thanksgiving Service with a call on members of staff to appreciate the grace of God in their lives.
The sermon for this year’s service was del ivered by Very Rev. Eric Gyan (Director, Youth Ministries Directorate of the Methodist Church Ghana) on the theme: Celebrating the Goodness of God.
The Director General of GAEC, Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare took the opportunity to highlight the commission’s key achievements in 2023. In a heartfelt address, he expressed gratitude to the dedicated members of staff for their unwavering commitment to their work.
The celebration was captured in a series of photographs, offering a visual glimpse into the event and the spirit of thanksgiving that prevailed.
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) held a machine learning workshop for tertiary students to provide them with essential artificial intelligence skills at the GAEC Reactor Training Facility.
The programme was organized in partnership with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ITCP) in line with Physics Without Frontiers Ghana and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The workshop was designed to equip participants with the fundamental techniques and resources needed to analyse visual and statistical data, build models, and effectively communicate decisions based on data.
The Director of NNRI, Dr. Samuel Ganyaglo (Standing) addressing the participants at the training workshop
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI) of GAEC, Dr. Samuel Ganyaglo, stated that the workshop’s broad skill set was to address real-world challenges by strategically using algorithms to analyse vast amounts of data and make informed decisions.
According to the Director, the training is crucial in a world where everything is going digital.
“Anytime I get the opportunity to address a gathering like this, I always say that the world is evolving. Machine learning is at the forefront of technological advancements, and by providing this training, participants will acquire the skill set that will drive Ghana’s progress in science and technology,” he stated.
He further advised the participants to take the programme seriously since the knowledge they acquire can help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills.
“If you want to make a meaningful contribution to the global village, you need to be abreast with machine learning. And if you know it very well, it will provide you with the leverage you need to contribute effectively to the country’s economy” he added.
The project coordinator for the Physics Without Frontiers Ghana, who is also a Senior Research Scientist at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Irene Opoku Ntim, in an interview indicated that the program was not only targeted at students who offered science and IT but to all students who use data in their work.
“It is being run for all undergraduates and post graduate students who use data in their work and how they are going to process and interpret it. So, we want to equip our students, especially those who are in the second year doing their thesis to process any data that they come across”, she opined.
The five-day workshop which ended on November 17, 2024, brought together a diverse group of tertiary students from various institutions including the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), University of Ghana, Data Link Institute of Business and Technology, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
A Principal Technologist at the Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Ms. Bernice Agyeman has received the L’OREAL FOUNDATION-UNESCO YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD for her PhD. research on the Quality of Drinking Water to Address Disease Risk. She was one of 30 young scientists chosen from 630 individuals who applied for the award.
The Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute (RAMSRI), in partnership with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) Hospital and other partners, is scheduled to organise a breast cancer awareness campaign throughout the month of October.
Apart from the awareness creation of the devastating effects of the disease on individuals, families and nations, the campaign seeks to inspire hope in those affected by cancer through early detection, education, and support services.
There would also be a free breast cancer screening under the auspices of the GAEC @ 60 Anniversary celebration, supported by the GAEC Hospital, University of Ghana Medical Centre, Legon and the International Maritime Hospital at Tema.
At the media launch of the campaign on the theme: “Healthy Breasts for Healthy Life,” Prof. Dickson Adomako, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, said breast cancer was the most dominant of this disease, making up to 12 per cent of all cancers globally.
He said women were the most diagnosed, citing the risk factors of developing breast cancer as age, gender, family history, genetics, obesity and excessive alcohol intake, among others.
He said early detection through education, awareness creation and effective screening was key to saving lives.
Prof. Adomako gave a brief background of GAEC’s role as Ghana’s statutory body mandated to carry out research into the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology and its development.
He said the Commission engaged in research, education, commercialisation of its research among others, through its six Institutes including RAMSRI and the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences.
He acknowledged RAMSRI and its partners including the GAEC Hospital and GAEC Ladies Association for spearheading this important activity of Breast Cancer Awareness, which was key in the Commission’s 60 Anniversary programme.
Prof. Francis Hasford, the Director of RAMSRI, said being the leading cancer research Institute under GAEC, his outfit had been leading in the crusade against breast cancer prevention over the past three years through the annual campaigns, supported by the GAEC Hospital, and hoped to expand the outreach to other areas of the country.
He said the reason for the campaign was to announce dreadfulness of breast cancer as a killer, saying society never appreciated the call for early diagnoses unless one encountered a patient affected by the disease.
He said available statistics showed a global record of 2.3 million breast cancer cases annually, which was projected to double by 2035, and in Ghana the disease accounted for 4,500 cases a year, with 50 per cent of the diagnosed cases resulting in death.
“Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Ghana only after liver cancer,” but there was a 90 per cent chance of successful treatment when detected early, he said.
The Deputy Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Dickson Adomako (Middle), and a cross-section of invited guests and GAEC staff at the launch
Dr Hasford outlined the plan activities for the campaign month as community and media engagement, article publications, awareness walk and free breast cancer screening for workers of corporate institutions including the National Petroleum Authority, Graphic Communications Group, G4 Security (G4S), Ghana Free Zones Authority and the Ga East Municipal Assembly starting from October 02, 2023.
Other target groups for education and free screening were the Kwabenya Senior High School, and the Kwabenya, Dome and Taifa markets respectively, all in the Ga East district.
He explained that the 15 Kilometre health awareness walk through the principal streets of Dome-Kwabenya-Haatso was slated for October 13 , starting from the GAEC hospital at Atomic.
“We will walk through the Kwabenya and Dome markets, linking to the Christian Village, Westlands, Haatso and back to the GAEC Hospital amidst brass band music and sharing of educative information including flyers,”
Prof. Hasford explained that the Breast Cancer Awareness Month had always been a crucial opportunity to unite communities, honour survivors, remember lost loved ones, and empower individuals to take charge of their breast health.
He said GAEC was deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of women and those affected by breast cancer and called for public support of the efforts to make a meaningful impact through the campaign.
The government, media, academia, industry, and the general public will discuss the state of Ghana’s nuclear power program tomorrow at the Nuclear Power Forum at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Ghana is in phase II of its Nuclear Power Programme (NPP), and the forum seeks to provide stakeholders with an update on the status of Ghana’s nuclear power infrastructure development.
It will also serve as an opportunity for stakeholders to gain first-hand knowledge of the pre-and post-Fukushima experiences of the Japanese nuclear industry.
The forum is being organized by the Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) on behalf of the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organization (GNPPO) on the theme “Learning from the Japanese Nuclear Experience”.
The GNPPO is the technical workforce and advisory body responsible for coordinating the nuclear power program. Three key organizations constitute the GNPPO: the Nuclear Power Institute, which is responsible for providing technical know-how and support; Nuclear Power Ghana, which is the owner and operator; and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, which is the regulator. It is chaired by the Ministry of Energy.
The forum, which will be streamed live on the social media accounts of GAEC, forms part of technical cooperation with the Japanese Government through the JAIF International Corporation Centre (JICC). It has seen about 450 participants trained virtually in the last 12 months.
According to the Director of NPI, Prof. Seth Kofi Debrah, the Japanese government continues to explore the opportunities nuclear power has to offer them because of its enormous benefits to the country’s development.
“That should tell us the critical role of nuclear power, and I’m certain that once nuclear power comes online to augment Ghana’s energy mix, it will help boost the country’s industrialization agenda,” he added.
“In order to educate stakeholders on Ghana’s nuclear power program and help them understand the tremendous advantages it has to offer; key topics have been carefully selected for discussion at the forum. We also hope to draw some valuable lessons from the Japanese nuclear industry”, Prof. Debrah stressed.
The topics for discussion at the forum include Ghana’s energy transition, the status of Ghana’s nuclear infrastructure development, and the socio-economic benefits of nuclear power—the Japanese Experience.
The rest are radioactive waste management in Japan, the Japanese nuclear power industry and experience.
Some key personalities to participate in the forum include the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI); the Minister of Energy; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, as well as the U.S. and Japanese Ambassadors to Ghana.
A fellowship on clinical training in nuclear medicine to address the shortage of Imaging Medical Physicists in Africa was opened in Accra last Tuesday.
This comes on the heels of the maiden fellowship held in 2021, after a study conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Federation of African Medical Physicists Organization (FAMPO) revealed that Africa has only 200 imaging medical physicists instead of the over 4,000 needed to serve the continent.
The six-month fellowship being hosted by the Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute (RAMSRI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with sponsorship from the IAEA brings together eight participants from five African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Sudan, and Tanzania.
The fellowship aims at strengthening and sustaining medical imaging services in Africa through academic education programs and clinical training, as well as effective diagnostic and interventional radiological practices to ensure healthy lives and promote the wellbeing of everyone.
The Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Samuel Dampare (second left), and other dignitaries at the event.
Addressing the participants at the opening ceremony, the Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Samuel Dampare, announced that the fellowship starts on April 3, 2023, and ends on October 3, 2023.
He explained that several studies by the IAEA showed that even though there were medical physicists at the Radiotherapy Centres in the member states of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA), the same could not be said of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Radiological Centres. “As a result, a task force group was setup to put together a training curriculum that was later harmonized for academic and clinical training in medical physics in Africa,” he added.
“Currently, 11 countries, namely Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe, have academic programs in this regard,” he indicated.
He admonished the participants to help their countries develop the competencies needed in nuclear medicine physics with the knowledge and experiences they would gain at the end of the fellowship.
“This is a very great opportunity provided by the IAEA, and I would want to encourage you all, fellows, to make the best out of the situation,” he added.
The Director of RAMSRI at GAEC, Prof. Francis Hasford, reiterated the importance of the training to equip medical physicists with the needed competencies to become clinically qualified to practice independently in one or more of the subfields of medical physics.
Prof. Hasford, who is also the project scientific consultant, said the participants would be taken through 10 key areas. They are clinical awareness, performance testing of imaging equipment, radiation protection and safety, dosimetry instrumentation and calibration, and patient radiation dose audit.
The rest are image quality assessment, optimization of clinical procedures, technological management in nuclear medicine, radioactivity measurements and internal dosimetry, and performance testing of nuclear medicine equipment.
The fellowship supervisor, Dr. Theophilus Sackey, on his part, mentioned that there were a lot of expectations for the participants during the fellowship. He urged them to network among fellows and experts, gain knowledge of the harmonized protocol for quality control in nuclear medicine, and publish their works at the end of the fellowship, among other things.
The Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) is set to inaugurate an experimental hut station for innovative research in managing malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in a rural community in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The experimental hut station, which is located at Atatem in the Adansi Asokwa District, is a simplified model of an indigenous home, built to World Health Organization (WHO) standards that will allow researchers to test the efficacy of insecticides used in indoor residual spray (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to kill disease vectors such as Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus.
The Director of BNARI, Dr. Michael Osae, made this known yesterday when he interacted with communication personnel to announce a host of activities earmarked for the 2023 annual GAEC-BNARI Malaria Awareness Campaign (MAC-2023) slated for 9th May 2023.
Director of BNARI, Dr. Michael Osae
According to Dr. Osae, the decision to establish the hut in the Atatem community stems from prior research, which indicates that mosquito vectors of malaria are prevalent and highly resistant to insecticides. Premised on this fact, he said there is a good foundation for siting the experimental hut to test new vector control tools being developed against resistant vectors.
“Mosquito nets would be hung in the experimental hut to collect mosquitoes for the test. The mosquitoes will then be examined to determine the effectiveness of vector control tools like treated nets and insecticide sprays,” he added.
Dr. Osae stated that the experimental hut station is a highly effective way to eliminate non-responsive control measures and validate new and appropriate interventions to help control disease-transmitting mosquitoes.
“This project was established in collaboration with the Center for Research in Infectious Diseases in Cameroon through a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants. The Center for Research in Infectious Diseases of Cameroon were awarded a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to study mosquito insecticide resistance and its impact on vector control tools across Africa. The participation of Ghana in the project enabled GAEC to be given a sub-grant to carry out this component,” he added.
Shedding light on some key activities of the awareness campaign, Dr Osae said that apart from the commissioning of the experimental hut station, there would be an awareness talk to educate community members in Atatem and its environs on malaria prevention and control.
He also indicated that there would be a free health screening exercise and distribution of free mosquito repellents for residents.
The GAEC in partnership with the European Union, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have organized a 3-day workshop on organized criminal activities using Nuclear and other Technologies in Accra.
The workshop was focused on the Prevention, Detection and Response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism. It was designed to discuss the role that technology solutions play on organized criminal activities that breach the integrity of the supply chain. With particular emphasis on collecting feedback from CBRN experts, law enforcers, forensic and supply chain technology experts.
It was also to help identify needs of operators in the field and the ways in which technology can support their activities for the monitoring, prevention and investigation of illegal activities related to CBRN terrorism and criminal infiltrations of the supply chain.
Participants in the workshop on organized criminal activities using Nuclear and other Technologies.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, who gave the keynote address, noted that in the west African sub-region, organized criminal activities are known to have had influences in fake medicines, illegal mining, illegal fishing, fuel adulteration and smuggling sectors.
“Left unresolved, the threats posed by these activities can have devastating consequences not only in terms of human lives, but also in terms of economic and social stability”, he added.
The Minister emphasized that prevention is the foremost objective in the fight against malicious or criminal activities involving CBRN. “It is the key to addressing the threats posed by CBRN terrorism and organized criminal activities” he added.
He indicated that technologies such as radiation detection systems, biometric scanners, and chemical sensors can be deployed around the world as one of the most effective ways to prevent these threats.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie added that detection and response which involves the use of technologies such as remote sensing, imaging systems, and mobile laboratories as well as drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles can be used to respond to threats quickly and safely in areas that are difficult to access.
He concluded by saying that Ghana’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to organized crime requires technology and proactive collaboration between government agencies, private industry, civil society organizations and academic and research institutions.
The Deputy Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Dickson Adomako, who represented the Director General, Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, said that Ghana has a rich history with the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency on collaborations to drive research, development, human resource capacity building and safety and security matters.
“We are therefore happy to be hosting this 3-day United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute workshop, which has brought together experts from around the world” he added.
Prof. Adomako revealed that the prospect of non-state actors including terrorists gaining access to and using Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials is a serious threat to international peace and security.
“The activities of such groups are on the rise and more effort is needed to address this kind of injustice to humanity” he said.
He was particularly happy that this workshop is being organized in Ghana to discuss measures to curtail these criminal activities due to reports of the ascendency of terrorism and organized crime activities in Africa.
“I know that experts will give us more examples of CBRN terrorism and organized crime activities during this workshop” he added.
Participants were drawn from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone with particular emphasis on CBRN terrorism experts as well as customs and law enforcement officers with expertise on different forms of illicit trade (related to trafficking in illicit pesticides, fuel frauds, precious metals trafficking, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forensic and supply chain technology experts.
By: Communication and Public Relations Center, GAEC
Research conducted by the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has revealed that 25% of mosquito breeding sites in the Kwabenya area are home to Anopheles mosquitos, the main vectors of malaria.
Breeding sites around GAEC Community, Kwabenya-Musuku, Narhman (Bohye), and Kwabenya itself are among the 25% identified.
The Director of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Dr. Michael Osae, made this known when he shared the findings with the students and teachers of GAEC Basic School at GAEC’s annual Malaria Awareness Campaign at Kwabenya in Accra.
The research exercise began on April 28, 2022, and ended on May 10, 2022, as part of the one-month-long activities that marked the 2022 edition of the Malaria Awareness Campaign, which ended on May 31, 2022, with a public lecture on “Malaria and Malaria Mosquitoes”.
According to Dr. Osae, the study shows that the residents of Kwabenya and its environs are at risk of malaria because the mosquito species identified are competent vectors of human malaria.
“The remaining 75% of breeding sites were home to Culex and Aedes mosquitoes, also known as nuisance mosquitoes, which do not transmit malaria but do transmit other diseases that are not present in the country. They can, however, transmit yellow fever,” he explained.
Dr. Osae, therefore, recommended that residents of Kwabenya desilt the gutters, spray the mosquito breeding sites to kill the mosquito larvae, and, where applicable, get rid of the mosquito breeding sites entirely.
In another study conducted by BNARI during the same period on mosquito net ownership and usage in the Kwabenya community, Dr. Osae said it was found that 51% of the people do not have treated nets and only 63% of those who do sleep under them.
“We must all change our attitude towards how we think about mosquitoes and malaria. Your treated mosquito nets are not meant to fence your hencoop; please sleep in them to prevent malaria,” he stressed.
Speaking on the theme for the campaign “Harness Innovation to Reduce Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives,” Dr. Osae said innovations have led to the development of a World Health Organization-approved Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets, which he described as “one of the best ways of preventing malaria as the net establishes a physical and chemical barrier against mosquitoes.”
On her part, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Hon. Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, said malaria remains a life-threatening disease, causing more than one million deaths each year.
She urged the public to avoid mosquito bites and reduce their risk of contracting malaria by keeping their surroundings clean and sleeping under treated mosquito nets.
“I will also recommend, especially to those who have not signed onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to do so as soon as possible since the scheme provides cover for malaria services at a low cost for holders of an NHIS card,” she added.
The campaign is an annual event that is aimed at empowering communities toward malaria prevention and control and helping solve the problem of malaria through research-driven solutions.
Dr. Chantara Thevy Ratnam, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert in Polymer Technology, is in Ghana on a fact-finding mission from May 16 to 20, 2022, to assess a project plan to manage plastic waste using nuclear technology.
Dr. Chantara Thevy Ratnam (IAEA Expert)
The project under the Technical Cooperation project of IAEA is dubbed: “NUTEC Plastics”, an initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation’s (MESTI) efforts, through the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) to tackle the menace of plastic waste in the country.
During her 5-day visit, Dr. Ratnam will meet with government officials, the project team and tour selected laboratories at GAEC. This would be followed by a workshop with selected stakeholders in plastic production and waste management industry on Reutilizing and Recycling Polymeric Waste through Radiation Modification for the Production of Industrial Goods.
Dr. Harriet Danso-Abbeam, the project counterpart who is also a Senior Research Scientist at GAEC explained that the IAEA expert would tour some existing plastic recycling plant facilities as part of her activities.
“Ghana is one of four African countries that have been chosen by the IAEA to implement this project. The three other countries are South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco,” she added.
The Director of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Dr. Michael Osae, made this known when he shared the findings with the students and teachers of GAEC Basic School at GAEC’s annual Malaria Awareness Campaign at Kwabenya in Accra.