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The outgoing Prof Director General, Benjamin J. B. Nyarko (right) GAEC presenting the key of office to Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare the new DG Photo Michael Ayeh
Professor Samuel Boakye Dampare was on Tuesday inducted into office as the Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).
Prof. Dickson Adoamako was also inducted as the Deputy-Director General.
Speaking at the induction ceremony the board chairman of the commission, Dr Kwaku Aning, who adorned them with stoles and also assure the outgoing Director that if need of his advise the commission will knock on his doors.
The former D-G,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 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 chair 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’sboard said in November last year, the report of the search committee was considered resulting in the appointment of Prof.Dampare as the director-general of the commission and Prof. Adomako as his deputy.
Dr Aning said the D-G 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 D-G 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 D-G 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.
“Globally recognised, nationally relevant, result-focused and an entrepreneurial scientific research organisation in the field of nuclear and allied sciences and applications” he mentioned.
According to him, GAEC was strategically established with 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 assured that the 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.
By Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
