By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, July 02, GNA-Mr Kwamena Quaison, Director of Science, Technology and Innovations, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations (MESTI), says adequate investment in scientific research and development will unlock the potentials of nuclear technology.
“Taking such steps would yield more opportunities by creating new industries, new jobs, ensure food security, provide health solutions to the labour force and provide a cleaner and more sustainable future for all,” he said.
Mr Quaison made the remarks at the Scientific Innovations Dialogue in commemoration of the Day of Africa’s Scientific Renaissance celebration in Accra.
The celebration, under the auspices of MESTI, was on the theme, “Harnessing the power of the atom for economic transformation through science and technology.”
The Director said nuclear technology could create new industries and jobs if the country took the necessary steps to build capacity, starting from the basic level of education.
He said, “Although an atom was the smallest building block for any substance, it possesses power for economic transformation. An atom has been a source of energy for the industrial revolution of many countries over the years, and with further advancements in this technology, it has become even more valuable.”
Mr Quaison said resilient economies depended on reliable and affordable energy hence the need to take a critical look at energy production and energy-consumption activities.
He noted the need to look at power generation sources, distribution and use, critically because the nexus between energy and development had been established and could not be over-emphasised.
The Director said Ghana’s Electricity generation had changed from 84 per cent -hydro and 14 per cent thermal to 38 per cent hydro and 60 per cent thermal.
He indicated this caused high tariffs due to gas price volatility and erratic gas supply.
Mr Quaison said 40 per cent of production cost for industries in Ghana was attributed to electricity cost, making it difficult for Ghanaian industries to stay competitive.
He said with almost no hydro potential left to exploit, Nuclear and Coal, as baseload options, were very attractive to help reduce tariffs and help the country undergo industrialisation.
Mr Quaison added that Ghana had also issued a request for information and received feedback for six large reactors and nine small modular reactors (SMRs).
Dr Samuel Boakye Dampare, Director-General of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), said Ghana continued to blaze the trail by offering research-driven solutions to societal issues in agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, energy, water resource management and geological mineral resources management.
He said GAEC’s research, through its Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) and other collaborators, had worked to improve crop yields and produced new varieties for cassava, tomatoes and others that were drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and had better nutritional quality.
The Director-General said innovations and breakthroughs were attainable because of teamwork and collaboration among scientists and research institutions.
“A typical example of this spirit of collaboration was the work between the Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute (RAMSRI) of the GAEC and the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in cancer treatment,” he said.
Dr Dampare said GAEC expected the collaborations between the scientific communities of Ghana to be deepened and strengthened to enhance knowledge sharing and the churning out of innovations and technologies for the benefit of Ghanaians.
The Director-General said the Government, private sector industries and other stakeholders must commit to spending a lot more on Science, Technology and Innovations to realise their vision of economic transformation soon.
He said to increase innovation, productivity and economic growth, African governments should raise their national gross expenditure on research and development to at least one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
GNA