Mr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) says the Government will complete and operationalise the Foundry and Machine Tooling Centre in Accra.
Located on the premises of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), the Centre is expected to develop moulds that would improve the manufacturing of machine parts for the automobile and manufacturing industries and support industrialisation.
Speaking to journalists at the project site as part of his familiarisation tour to institutions under GAEC on Thursday, Mr Muhammed said the Government would factor about GHS300 million required to complete the facility into the next budget.
He said the project would help reduce importation of essential machine parts, create employment opportunities, and rake in revenue for the country. As of the time of the Minister’s visit, the Centre was about 95 per cent complete.
Mr Muhammed said he expected the Centre to be operational within the next four to five months. “The basic tools that we use for our vehicles and industries are imported. The purpose for establishing the Foundry is that we will be able to produce those basic tools,” he said.
“I can assure you that we will factor that (the money required to complete the project) to the next budget,” the Minister added. Mr Muhammed also visited the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory located at Kuntunse in the Greater Accra Region. During a meeting with the management of the facility, discussions were held about the encroachment on the lands hosting the project and the threat it posed to the effective operationalisation of the facility.
The Minister assured that he would involve the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to help address the problem.
The Minister directed the GAEC and its agencies to submit a paper, making compelling case for more resources to execute their work. He said the paper would serve as the basis to lobby for funding opportunities to bridge the gaps and address critical challenges affecting the operations of the agencies.
Mr Muhammed said technologies developed by GAEC could improve local rice production and other essential commodities and reduce the over GHS3 billion rice and poultry products import bill.
“For instance, if we are looking for international funding to support water provision, we know the role that for instance GAEC will play and that will make a case for the agency to participate in the project,” he said.
Mr Muhammed charged the agencies to prepare their budgets early before the finalisation of the national budget and explore similarities in projects to reduce duplication in funding.
Professor Samuel B. Dampare, the Director General, GAEC, assured the Minister of the Commission’s cooperation and commitment to ensure that the country benefited from nuclear science to enhance socio-economic development.
Source: GNA
