GAEC Boss urges staff to get vaccinated

The Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Benjamin J.B. Nyarko has urged staff of the Commission and the GAEC Community to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

He made this remark yesterday after he took his jab at the GAEC Hospital at Kwabenya in Accra – one of the centers for the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

 

Prof. Nyarko advised Ghanaians to discard the conspiracy theories about the dangers associated with the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

“This is not the first-time a vaccination program such as this is taking place. Since the 17th century, there has been one vaccination program after the other against viruses that kept threatening man’s survival”, he noted.

 

“Polio, measles, and smallpox, among others, are some of the diseases we have been vaccinated against, and so, the process is no different from COVID-19 vaccination”, he added.

 

The Director of Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) of GAEC, Prof. Dickson Adomako, who was with the DG for the vaccination also made a clarion call for Ghanaians to get vaccinated to help curb the spread of the disease.

 

“Citizens of other nations have taken the vaccine and are helping to minimize the impact of this global pandemic, and so, let’s come out in our numbers and get vaccinated”, he added.

 

By CPRC/CCD

GAEC boss honoured at International Conference on political/civil strife in Africa

The Director-General of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Benjamin J.B. Nyarko has been honored at the International Conference on Political/Civil Strife in Africa held at the Fiesta Royal Hotel, Accra.

The award, conferred on him by the West Africa International Press Limited, was in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of peace and security in the nuclear industry which has contributed to the socio-economic development of Ghana.

The West African International Press, publishers of the West African International Magazine is concerned with bringing to the forefront issues of corruption, hunger, poverty, and politics among member countries that are detrimental to development.

Additionally, they also collaborate with organizations, ministries, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to organize conferences, trade missions, and award programs in honor of deserving Africans, who have contributed to the promotion of peace and development in their chosen professions.

In his remarks, the chairman for the occasion, Noble Justice Isaac Duose, a retired Appeals Court Judge, who is also the chairman of the governing council of Wisconsin International University College noted that peace and security are essential elements for the development of every nation.

“Where a people are so tied unshakably to the rightness of their tribe or religion, conflict, strife is bound to arise” he stated.

Noble Justice Duose indicated the inter-tribal strife is bound to be abundant and serious where people are not prepared to eschew their pride and intolerance of other peoples’ tribes.

“To be honest, unless our leaders are honest and humble enough to admit and to take advantage of our variety, we will continue to be in strife,” he added.

The award ceremony brought together professionals from various government agencies and industries including education, health, manufacturing, and business for excellence and contribution to peace and development.

By: CPRC/CCD

Nyonko Do Farmers Association gets technical assistance from GAEC

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has decided to offer technical support to a farm-based organization, Nyonko Do Farmers Association (NDFA), in the area of Agriculture and Agribusiness.

The decision was the outcome of a meeting between GAEC and NDFA on Wednesday, 27th January 2021.

Last year, NDFA approached the Commission to seek collaboration, support, and expertise to help boost the Association’s agric-related businesses, in line with Government’s 1D1F project.

 

A representative of the Association, Madam Cynthia Mensa made a strong case for the collaboration between GAEC, financial institutions, and farm-based groups within the country, adding that it would help create and sustain a viable value chain for the agricultural sector in its bid to actualize the aims of the 1D1F.

“GAEC is a credible institution, the reason we are here today seeking opportunities in terms of technical assistance from the scientists, funding and business plans/models”, she indicated.

 

“In spite of the farmer’s ability to produce in tons, they face a number of challenges, including, access to funds, technical know-how, and post-harvest losses”, she added.

The Acting Director of Commercialization and Communication Directorate (CCD), Mrs. Sheila Frimpong, in a brief remark, said since the first meeting last year, a lot of paperwork on collaboration between the two entities had been done.

“A memorandum of understanding has been drafted and forwarded to the Office of Legal Affairs of GAEC for their consideration and approval”, she added.

 

The Director of Biotechnology and Nuclear Agricultural Research Institute (BNARI) of GAEC, Dr. Micheal Osae, also enumerated the various areas of assistance the Institute would offer the Association.

This he said includes soil testing, compost production, and irrigation systems. He added that post-harvest management services with a solar dryer and Gamma irradiation technology were available to address post-harvest losses.

 

A representative from the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) of GAEC, Mr. Patrick Lamptey, also noted that as part of the collaboration, drone technology, and satellite imaging would be used for weather forecasting and monitoring of irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticide application.

Meanwhile, the GAEC team would arrange and take a tour of the farms and projects being undertaken by NDFA at their base in Kasoa in the Central Region. This visit would allow the team to familiarize themselves with the issues raised by the farmers firsthand. The visit to the project site would inform the next line of action.

Commercialization and communication directorate Of GAEC holds maiden general meeting

The Commercialization and Communication Directorate (CCD) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has held its maiden general meeting with a call on staff to be committed to the cause of the Directorate.

The Acting Director of CCD, Ms. Sheila Frimpong, who made the call, urged the staff to rally behind one another and actively participate in the efforts towards realizing the reasons for establishing it.

 

Ms. Frimpong in a presentation took the staff through the vision, mission, and goals of the Directorate as well as the key activities and targets for the five Centers under the Directorate for the year 2021.

She urged them to achieve targets set out for the year, adding: “the CCD has been established to drive commercialization of the Commission’s nuclear technologies and other services to help generate income to support the activities of the Commission”.

“It was also established to promote the Commission’s brand as well as build strong identity and reputation through effective communication,” she said.

The Acting Director, however, noted that this could not be realized without teamwork and shared responsibility among the staff of CCD.

 

Managers of each Centre took turns to give brief remarks, urging staff to be supportive, dutiful and committed to the aspirations of the Directorate and its leadership.

 

The CCD, through restructuring and realignment of some administrative offices in GAEC, was established in January 2021, to help boost the commercialization of the Commission’s nuclear technologies and other services, and bring to the doorstep of individuals and industries, the Commission’s solution-driven nuclear research that addresses societal problems, while promoting the peaceful use of nuclear, biotechnology and other related technologies for the socio-economic development of the country.

 

By CPRC/CCD

Ghanaian Nuclear Scientist Elected Member of IPRA Executive Council

Dr. Joseph Amoako Deputy Director, Radiation Protection Institute
Dr. Joseph Amoako
Deputy Director, Radiation Protection Institute

The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) has elected Dr. Joseph Amoako as a member of its Executive Council for the 2021-2024 tenure.

Dr. Amoako was elected to the Council following the announcement of three vacant positions which were keenly contested by candidates from Ghana, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, among others.

He is the first African to be elected to the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body of the Association.

Dr. Amoako is the Deputy Director of the Radiation Protection Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, and also the Vice President of the Ghana Association for Radiation Protection. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences of the University of Ghana.

He spearheaded groundbreaking research in Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. This has helped in the monitoring of Mobile Phone Base Stations in Ghana, assessment of Microwave devices, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, among others. Dr. Amoako was an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) fellow at the Greek Atomic Energy Commission in Occupation Radiation Protection.

IRPA is the international association of radiation protection professionals with 53 associate societies in 68 countries.

IPRA promotes high professional competence, radiation protection culture, and practice by providing benchmarks of good practice and encouraging the application of the highest standards of professional conduct, skills, and knowledge for the benefit of individuals and society.

By CPRC/CCD

Don’t ignore mandatory test for radiation status of water: It can be injurious to human health – GAEC

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has appealed to regulators and players in the water industry not to ignore the mandatory water quality tests for the radiation status of water in the country.

This, the Commission said, would help avert any injury to the internal organs of consumers as a result of long-term exposure to radiological substances.

The Manager of the Environmental Radiation Protection Center of the Radiation Protection Institute of GAEC, Dr. Oscar Adukpo, in an interview, noted that radiation exists in the environment including water.

Dr. Adukpo said, for this reason, the government has come out with a radiological quality requirement in addition to other requirements for water quality tests.

“Therefore, the specific requirements under the radiological quality test are Gross Alpha and Gross Beta with a permissible range of 0.1Bq/L and 1.0B/L, respectively,’’ he added.

Dr. Adukpo cautioned that although these were low radiation levels, once they get into the body in appreciable volumes, they were injurious to human health.

“They decay and accumulate in the liver and other internal organs over a long period, causing damage and could result in cancer. It is therefore important to screen water for these radionuclides to make sure they are not above the acceptable range”, he noted.

Dr. Adukpo however, lamented that although the test was one of the requirements in addition to other requirements by Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), only a few water sachet and bottling companies ensure compliance.

“Some companies realizing the effect of radiation on humans, bring their water to be tested to ensure compliance” he disclosed.

By CPRC/CCD

GAEC restructures administrative offices to boost Productivity and commercialization of its nuclear technologies

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has reorganized and restructured some administrative offices to enhance efficiency and boost the commercialization of its nuclear technologies and other services.

 

Mr. William Srekuma, Director of Administration(GAEC)
Mr. William Srekuma, Director of Administration(GAEC)

The exercise involved the consolidation and realignment of about five different Offices which has given birth to a new office, called the Commercialization and Communication Directorate (CCD). The CCD has five Centers, namely; the Communication and Public Relations, Marketing, Technology Transfer and Innovation, Information and Communication Technology, and the Guesthouse and Hospitality Services Centers.

 

The Commission also elevated its Human Resource Department into a Directorate which now has four Centers to effectively manage employee’s capacity development and job performance within the Commission. The Centers are; Training and Development, Recruitment and Selection, Counseling, and Welfare and Pension Centers.

 

The Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, explained that the Commission undertook the restructuring exercise to bring to the doorstep of individuals and industries, the Commission’s solution-driven nuclear research that addresses societal problems, whiles, promoting the peaceful use of nuclear, biotechnology and other related technologies for the socio-economic development of the country.

 

He also noted that the CCD would aid in the promotion of commercialization to help generate income to support the activities of the Commission, whiles the Human Resource (HR) Directorate would boost the functionality of the HR personnel towards the effective management of employees, welfare and morale, among others.

By CPRC/CCD

GAEC Orients Newly Appointed Directors and Managers

A one-day orientation workshop has been organized for newly appointed Directors and Managers of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).

 

The orientation which is part of the Commission’s anticipated new phase had participants from the recently restructured Human Resource and the Commercialization and Communication Directorates to enhance efficiency and boost the commercialization of its nuclear technologies and other services.

 

The Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, in brief remarks, encouraged participants to bring to bear, some positive change in their new roles; “transformation does not start with a multitude of people but an individual,” he stated.

 

Prof. Nyarko urged the Managers to contribute meaningfully to the cause of Management for the realization of the Commission’s objectives. He reminded them that their roles were performance-based.

 

He admonished the appointees to have the spirit of humility to learn from their subordinates, and also establish healthy working relationships with all Staff as well as orient themselves with the management structures and systems of the Commission.

 

He further congratulated them on their appointments and wished them well in their new endeavour. “I hope that what you learn today will bring the needed transformation through you and help achieve our objectives,” he added.

 

The topics treated at the workshop included, the Duties and Roles of the Director, Deputy Director and Manager Positions, Policies and Procedures/Change Management, Functions of Internal Audit, and Public Financial Management Reforms.

 

By CPRC/CCD

GAEC holds orientation workshop for new Directors and Managers

A three-day induction and orientation workshop has been organized for newly appointed Directors and Managers of some Institutes and Centers/Departments of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).

The event which was held in the Council Chamber of the Commission was organized for 13 participants after a rigorous selection process.

 

The aim of the workshop was to sensitize the appointees on the basic administrative tenets, laws, and procedures needed to carry out their duties at their various Institutes and Centers/Departments.

In his welcome address, the Director-General, Prof B.J.B. Nyarko said that being appointed as a leader comes with some level of administrative work and that, it was important that they familiarize themselves with the basic administrative processes and procedures needed in carrying out their duties.

 

He appealed to the appointees to be humble in the discharge of their duties, promote teamwork, and establish healthy relationships with their subordinates.

He further advised them to orient themselves with rules and regulations guiding their scope of work and scheme of service.

 

“As you have occupied these positions, learn on the job and be friendly to your staff, and the people you are working with” he stated.

 

Prof. Nyarko thanked the Director of Administration and his team for organizing the workshop and noted that going forward, the entire staff of the Commission should benefit from such an initiative.

 

He congratulated them on their appointments to the various Institutes and Centers and wished them well in their new endeavor.

The topics treated at the three-day workshop included budget and imprest systems, corporate image building, effective leadership and management, business communication, and procurement procedures.

 

The rests were emotional intelligence and coping skills, bridging the gap between Institutes and Technology Transfer and Marketing Centre (TTMC), administrative processes and scheme of service, and understanding corporate strategic planning.

The resource persons for the three-day event were the Director of Administration, Mr. William Srekumah, the Director of Finance, Mr. Cyprian Basing, the Manager of Atomic Guesthouse, Mr. Essuman Kweku, Manager for the Office of Corporate and Public Affairs, Mr. Mark Sarfo, the Manager of Technology Transfer and Marketing Centre, Mrs. Sheila Frimpong, the Counseling Psychologist for the GAEC Hospital, Mrs. Mercy E. Amuasi, Head of Procurement, Mr. Paul Adika, Manager of Human Resource, Mr. Maxwell Nyarko and the Secretary to the GAEC corporate strategic plan committee, Mr. Richard Asare.

Ghana Atomic Energy Commission Welcomes Its 9TH Batch of Students for their Post-Graduate Education Course in Radiation Protection

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission on Monday, 2nd November, welcomed the 9th batch of students to undertake an IAEA Regional post-graduate education course in Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources held in the conference room of Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS)

The five-month course to be undertaken by SNAS, University of Ghana is designed to educate its participants to efficiently add to the competent workforce of the nuclear industry.

In his address, the Chairperson for the occasion, Prof Cyril Schandorf admonished the participants to remain humble and cooperative throughout the duration of the course. “I employ the participants to put on the clock of humility, a learning and cooperative attitude throughout the course” he stated.

He further said that the knowledge the participants will acquire through the course will be a stepping stone to other carrier pathways that will include being the radiation protection officer for authorized facilities in the various countries.

Additionally, Prof. Schandorf stated that it is his expectation that the Planning Committee of the Post-Graduate Education course (PGEC) will assist in creating a network for knowledge sharing among professionals in the field of radiation protection.

Prof Augustine Faanu, the Course Coordinator, delivered a message from Edwerd Mickel, the IAEA Technical Officer on behalf of Prof Yaw Serfor-Armah, the Course Director.

He congratulated the participants on their admission for the course and said that the participants should be proud for being selected out of the numerous applications received by the IAEA. “The PGEC fellows should be aware that they were nominated as a result of a thorough process. Like in previous years, we evaluated approximately 230 applicants and based on established criteria, you were selected” he added

He encouraged them to accord the highest interest and dedication to the course so that they can build their competence and contribute effectively to the development nuclear industry.

The Director General of GAEC, Prof B.J.B. Nyarko in his address advised the students to observe all the COVID-19 protocols. He stated that a lot of factors had to be satisfied before the green light was given to undertake this training course

Prof Nyarko further advised the students to use the laid down channels to register all their grievances. “Make sure you talk to your Course Coordinators if you have any challenge, otherwise talk to the Course Director. But if the problem still persists, you can bring it to me for redress” he stated.

He officially welcomed them and wished them well in their studies.

By: Corporate Affairs, GAEC