Environment, Science and Technology Minister Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has urged action to stop skilled scientists leaving the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, saying the expertise is vital to nuclear power plans.
Speaking during a working visit to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in Accra on Friday, 9 October, the Minister said it takes an average of at least 15 years to train someone to the point where they can be productive in the Commission’s specialised fields. She called for talks between management and staff to identify why people are leaving and to agree solutions. Spending on nuclear infrastructure, she said, must be matched by a workforce able to run facilities safely.
The stakes are rising. Ghana chose US-based NuScale Power with Regnum Technology Group to build small modular reactors and China National Nuclear Corporation for a large reactor, and aims to add one gigawatt of nuclear power to the grid by 2034. Those plans depend on scientists and engineers that GAEC has struggled to hold on to. A former Director-General, Professor Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, has warned that trained scientists were leaving for better pay, even though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had rated Ghana’s human capacity in the field among the best. The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Dr Nii Kwashie Allotey, has likewise blamed high attrition there on low pay.
Land, money and bills
In a presentation, GAEC listed land encroachment, high staff attrition, inadequate research funding and high utility bills as its main operational problems.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings ordered an audit of land and other property held by agencies under her ministry. She directed them not to dispose of any land or assets without consulting her, noting that some sites could be needed for expansion and would be hard to replace.
Public safety and young scientists
The Minister called for more public education on GAEC’s work in nuclear medicine, radiation monitoring, mining, water testing and archaeology. She said people living in buffer zones around mining sites and other facilities needed clearer information on radiation risks. She welcomed the Commission’s move from cobalt-based irradiation to electron-beam technology and said protecting the public from hazards must remain central.
She also asked GAEC to make its observatory more engaging and to introduce students to careers in space science. She proposed that top performers in national mathematics and science quizzes be invited to tour GAEC facilities.
Professor Samuel Dampare, GAEC’s Director-General, thanked the Minister and said the Commission would keep working with the ministry to advance nuclear science for Ghana’s benefit.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings was appointed in August and is touring agencies under her ministry.
