The Women in Nuclear Ghana (WiN Ghana) chapter was officially re-launched in Accra with a renewed commitment to empower women in nuclear science as a driver of Ghana’s socio-economic development.
The ceremony, hosted at the conference room of the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, was themed “Women in Nuclear Ghana: Strengthening the Role Women Play in Nuclear Science for the Socio-economic Development of Ghana.”
Originally launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with six executives and 50 members, WiN Ghana faced significant challenges in its formative years. With the re-launch, the group is poised to take impactful action.
In the keynote address delivered by Suweibatu Adams, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, she emphasised that revitalising WiN Ghana was a strategic necessity for national advancement.
“Nuclear science is a catalyst for development in energy, health, and agriculture, yet women remain underrepresented due to systemic barriers like gender bias and limited mentorship,” she noted.
She further highlighted that although the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) employs more than 250 women, fewer than 25% occupy technical positions, with even fewer in leadership roles, despite the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences having trained approximately 150 women at the MPhil level and 7 at the PhD level since 2006.
Madam Adams advocated stronger STEM education initiatives targeting girls in secondary schools, equitable hiring practices free from gender bias and fair promotion processes.
She also underscored the importance of mentorship, leadership development programs, and supportive work-life policies, including flexible work arrangements and childcare support.
She pointed to the government’s Ghana Affirmative Action Gender Bill (2024), which mandates 30% female representation in leadership by 2030, and the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy as critical enablers for progress.
Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, the Director-General of GAEC, reinforced the urgency of tackling underrepresentation, describing the event as a “revitalisation” rather than merely a re-launch.
He announced the 2024 appointment of Prof. Mary Adu-Poku to spearhead mentorship initiatives; a move aimed at combating imposter syndrome among women professionals.
“We need women not only at the laboratories but also at decision-making tables, building cross-generational networks, advocating for nuclear science literacy and forging partnerships with WiN Global and African chapters,” he urged.
He celebrated trailblazers like Prof. Aba Bentil Andam, a physics educator and advocate who served on GAEC’s board and impacted generations of scientists, Prof. Victoria Appiah, the first and only woman to serve as Deputy Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Josephine Nketsia Tabiri, the first female Director of BNARI, Prof. Paulina Amponsah, geophysicist and former Manager of Ghana’s National Data Centre associated with CTBTO, Prof. Mary Adu-Poku, foundational Director of RAMSRI and currently leading GAEC’s mentorship programme, urging younger women to “step up without waiting for perfection.”
In her address, Prof. Mary Adu-Poku, President of WiN Ghana and the event’s lead organiser expressed optimism that the re-launch would reinvigorate efforts to advance women’s empowerment for Ghana’s socio-economic development.
She closed with an inspiring quote from Marie Skłodowska-Curie: “We (women) must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted with something and that this thing must be attained.”
The Re-launch of WiN Ghana event drew participation from high -profile personalities including, Madam Suweibatu Adams, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology, Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, the Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Francis Otoo the Director-General of Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), Dr. Stephen Yamoah, the Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana, Prof. Francis Hasford, the Deputy Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Peace Chisara Ogbogbo, a representativeof the Provost of the University of Ghana, Directors of Institutes of GAEC, President of the Ghana Radiologists Association, President of the Ghana Society for Medical Physics, President of the Ghana Society of Radiographers, a representative of the President of Ghana Science Association, among others.
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