Professor Samuel Boakye Dampare has been inducted into office as the Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).
Prof. Dickson Adomako also was inducted as the Deputy Director-General.
They both swore the Oath of Office and Secrecy administered by the Board Chairman of the commission, Dr Kwaku Aning, who adorned them with stoles.
The former DG, Prof. Benjamin J.B. Nyarko presented a sword and a key to signify his official handing over to the new DG.
The ceremony attracted Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of tertiary institutions, former Director Generals of GAEC, and their deputies, the clergy, religious leaders, faculty and students of the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, friends and families of the two professors.
Dr. Aning, in his opening remarks, said it was the first time in the annals of the commission that a DG and his deputy were being sworn into office.
The Board Chairman stated that in accordance with laid down procedures and purposes of the commission, a search committee was duly constituted in 2021 to propose a successor to the former DG.
The Commission’s Board Chairman said in November last year, the report of the search committee was considered and approved the appointment of Prof. Dampare as the Director-General of the Commission and Prof. Adomako as his deputy.
Dr. Aning said the DG was answerable to the Commission’s Board and as the Chief Disciplinary Officer responsible for the day-to-day administration, research, development and education functions of the Commission as conferred on him by the GAEC Act 2000.
He said the Deputy DG shall perform any other function assigned by the Director-General and commended the Board for getting competent and visionary professors to head the Commission.
Prof. Dampare in his inaugural address commended the search committee for giving him the opportunity to serve the Commission and Prof. Emeritus E. H. K. Akaho, Prof. A.W.K. Kyere, Prof. Amuasi, Prof.Tsugio Shibata and Prof. Daniel Asiedu whose encouragement, support and guidance brought him this far.
His tenure, he stated commenced a new era of leadership and the very high expectations of the Commission to advance and excel within the global scientific research and development.
The DG said the Commission had made remarkable progress in health, agriculture, medicine, industry water resources management and space science and recognised globally as one of the leading institutions contributing to sustainable nuclear science and technology.
He added that his vision was to have GAEC become “globally recognised, nationally relevant, result-focused and an entrepreneurial scientific research organisation in the field of nuclear and allied sciences and applications.”
Prof. Dampare indicated that GAEC is strategically established with a focus on research and development, innovation and technology transfer, human resource development, education and training, commercialisation and the promotion of nuclear power into Ghana’s energy ministry.
He pledged to promote an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approach to research to address, promote the transfer of technology to the private sector, strengthen the capabilities of identified laboratories as well as establish a research and innovation fund to support the government’s agenda of industrial development.
Source: Ghanaian Times