IAEA to assist Ghana on nuclear security

Accra, July 26, GNA - Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are in Ghana to help put in place strategies to ensure the safety and security of the use of radioactive sources and materials in the country.

This has been necessitated by increased global concern that there was a chance that weapons of mass destruction might be used by terrorist organisations in the nearest future.

There is therefore the need for increased security at installations by states with nuclear capability or radioactive sources.

At an IAEA-organised awareness meeting of decision makers on nuclear security at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in Accra on Thursday, Prof. Edward Akaho, Director-General of the GAEC, said Ghana had been confronted with the problem of ensuring that all radioactive sources were controlled.

"If we succeed in doing so, then we can prevent any radiological accidents that may occur within or elsewhere the sources may be taken to."

He said in order to protect the individual, society and the environment from such accidents the country should evolve appropriate strategies to ensure that they were used in a safe and well-secured manner.

As a result of this, he said, Ghana requested for an International Nuclear Security Advisory Service Mission from the IAEA.

The Mission, which was in Ghana from August 28 to September 1, 2006, assessed the nuclear security needs of the country and made proposals for a plan of action, culminating in the IAEA developing an Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plan for Ghana.

The two-day Accra meeting with the IAEA experts aims at fine-tuning the Plan for adoption as a blueprint for the implementation of nuclear safety and security in Ghana.

The meeting would also identify organisations that would be responsible for the plan and the time frame for its implementation. Prof. Akaho expressed the hope that the focus of discussions and the outcome of the meeting would eventually help Ghana institute a sustainable nuclear security plan.

He assured the international community of Ghana's willingness to make nuclear security a priority in the scheme of things, as the country used radioactive sources and radiating emitting sources for peaceful applications.

Dr Richard Hoskins of the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security told the participants that combating nuclear terrorism was primarily the responsibility of individual states, from prevention to detection, through response to threats.

However, there was the need for international cooperation and coordination to minimize and eliminate such occurrences, because nuclear terrorism might be more attractive to extremists as a result of the September 11 attacks in the US.

As a first step to assisting Ghana in this sphere, Prof. Geoffrey Emi-Reynolds, Acting Director of the Radiation Protection Board of GEAC, told the GNA that the IAEA had supplied a number of radiation alarm detectors to be worn by Customs and other security officers to detect the import or export of radioactive materials at the country's entry and departure points.

He said the IAEA would be supplying more of the equipment to Ghana to upgrade the prevention mechanism. Participants a the meeting are drawn from the GAEC, the security services, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, NADMO, the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Justice, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Bureau of National Investigations and the National Security. 26 July 07