The newly appointed Director General (DG) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Samuel B. Dampare has begun a tour of the seven technical institutes of GAEC with a visit to the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI).
The tour marks the DG’s concerted effort to have a first-hand information on the various types of research being undertaken in the laboratories and also ascertain the state of equipment and facilities at the Institutes.
Speaking at a meeting with the Directors, Centre Managers and Heads of Department of NNRI, held at the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) facility, Prof. Dampare thanked them for their hard work and support during the investiture and induction ceremonies that ushered him into office.
He was optimistic that NNRI could replicate what pertains in other institutes by getting legal backing for some of the technologies and services they offer. “We can get legal backing for some of the technologies that we have a competitive advantage over and team up with the assemblies and say for instance, before anybody builds a house, he needs this or that certification from GAEC”, he stressed.
Responding to a question on the state of the GAEC website, the DG indicated that the Commission’s website will soon receive a facelift, and that, a directive has been issued for all Institutes to create their content for the update of the GAEC and Institute websites. “Visibility is key and if you write proposals for instance, the evaluators don’t know you and the first port of call is the website in order to identify you. So it is very important that we get this information from you to update the site”, he added.
The DG also noted that the internet is necessary for research and there must be a concerted effort to register all devices that will use the GAEC network so that activities can be properly monitored to ensure its proper use. “You will be surprised at what some people watch on their phones and computers during working hours”, he revealed.
Prof. Dampare stressed on the importance of accreditation of some selected laboratories within the next few years and indicated the necessity for clearly documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as well as Quality Control and quality Assurance (QAQC) measures.
The Deputy Director General of GAEC, Prof. Dickson Adomako, also advised management of the institute to promptly forward decisions taken at the institute level to the DG for him to be up to speed with what goes on at the institute level.
By: CPRC, CCD.
