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Archived Bulletins

June 2004

A TRIP TO THE GHANA ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION

By Abdul-Latif Issahaku
Class of 2005

Ashesi's students had a memorable experience when they embarked on a trip to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) to learn more about its operations and how relevant it is to the economic advancement of Ghana. The idea to visit the Commission came following a presentation given by Professor E. K. Osae, Deputy Director-General of the GAEC at Ashesi under the initiative of Professor Sitsofe Anku for his Discrete Mathematics class. The idea was to expose students to a practical application of mathematics in nuclear and atomic physics.

The GAEC was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 204) in 1963. The main functions of the Commission include the promotion of the development and utilization of the peaceful application of nuclear and biotechnological techniques for economic and social advancement of Ghana. In pursuance of these objectives the Commission has established 3 Institutes and 5 Centers which carry out appropriate research activities. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president underscored the relevance of such a facility when he declared forty years ago:

"We have been compelled to enter the field of Atomic Energy because this already promises to yield the greatest economic source of power since the beginning of man. Our success in this field will enable us to solve the many-sided problems which face us in all the spheres of our development in Ghana and Africa."

The 3 institutes of the GAEC are the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI), Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) and Radiation Protection Institute (RPI). The centers include the Radiation Technology Centre (RTC), Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) Centre, National Radioactive Waste Management Center (NRWMC), Digital Electronics and Nuclear Instrumentation Center (DENIC) and National Center for Mathematical Sciences (NCMS).

Professor Osae led Ashesi's students to observe the production process of neutrons at the 30KW GHARR-1 that provides Neutrons for Activation (NAA). He told the class that the reactor is the largest in the West African sub-region. The reactor is also capable of generating electrical power on a small scale. As a result the GAEC is seriously "romancing" the government to accept the reality that nuclear power is the cheapest source of electrical power. In support of this claim Professor Osae explained that neutrons are generated from uranium which exists in abundance in the country. Ghana's current energy profile consists of seventy-percent hydro and thirty-percent thermal power; the cost of thermal power being relatively high because the fuel required for generating thermal power has to be imported. Hydro power is also not sustainable he declared, due to changing rainfall patterns among other reasons.

Professor Osae enumerated a significant number of achievements that the GAEC has to its credit in the areas of food security, industrial processes and public health. To increase its revenue base, the GAEC has commercialized its findings and opened its doors to the public. According to him, "scientific technology is the engine of growth of Ghana's economy." He lauded the mission of Ashesi and encouraged students to explore more to move Ghana quickly into the digital world. He also used the opportunity to formally announce the beginning of collaboration between the GAEC and Ashesi in areas such as student internship, project supervision and staff training.
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