It gives me great pleasure to participate, together with my Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department of Technical Co-operation, Dr. Qian Jihui, in the ceremony for the inauguration of the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor in Ghana. My first visit to Ghana was already in August 1960, but I have not been here since 1967. Let me congratulate the State of Ghana and its scientific community for the acquisition of this important research tool. In particular let me congratulate the staff of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, under the able and dedicated chairmanship of Professor Allotey, for having spared no efforts in their co-operation with the IAEA, and with China as the supplier and helper in this tripartite project, to bring this important endeavour to a successful completion.
I should like to make a few comments on the longstanding co-operation between Ghana and the IAEA. Let me first, however, say a few words about the IAEA, which may not be known to everybody here. The Agency is a member of the U.N. family - like UNESCO and WHO and FAO. It is dedicated to developing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to preventing their misuse for military purposes. We have 122 Member States of which 26 are in Africa. We have some 2000 staff in Vienna and an annual budget of some US $250 million plus some US $50 million for technical assistance.
Media mostly pay attention to the IAEA roles in helping to strengthen safety in nuclear power plants and verifying the commitments that most countries have made, under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and safeguards agreements, to use nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes, i.e. not to develop nuclear weapons. We have mapped and neutralized the Iraqi programme to develop nuclear weapons and we have been heavily involved in verifying through inspection that South Africa's nuclear programme is now exclusively directed to peaceful purposes and that the bombs they had are dismantled. Through our safeguards system we are also involved in inspection of the nuclear programme of the DPRK. With growing nuclear disarmament we are also asked to verify that nuclear material for dismantled weapons is not going into new weapons. Thus we already safeguard some nuclear weapons material - HEU and PU - which was earlier in weapons in the United States. In these ways we are contributing to peace and security both regionally and globally.
Another major task of the IAEA relates to nuclear power safety. Through the IAEA the states of the world develop nuclear safety standards and even legally binding conventions relevant to safety. The Agency is also providing services, at the request of Member States, to examine operational safety, to provide expert advice, and to analyse accidents and incidents from which lessons should be learned. It has played and continues to play a central role in the analysis of the causes and consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
The Statute of the IAEA also gives the Agency an important role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy for the benefit of mankind. We have many programmes to promote the use of nuclear techniques and technology for sustainable development. Some - mostly industrialized - countries find nuclear generated electricity - nuclear power - a competitive and environmentally advantageous option. Some 17% of the world's electricity is provided by nuclear power plants. This is about as much as all hydropower provides. However, nuclear power is a demanding and capital intensive technology which so far has made it less attractive to developing countries. In the longer run this may change, if the concerns about H-CO2 emissions from fossil fuels increase. In many industrialized countries the expansion of nuclear power has stagnated because of public opinion and limited electricity demand during the past recession. In others, and in particular in east Asia, the role of nuclear power is growing strongly, for example China, Japan and Republic of Korea. Many countries have a greater interest in the applications of nuclear science in non-power fields - in the fields of water resources, medicine, agriculture, industry and environmental monitoring. Much of IAEA's work, and co-operation with developing countries is directed at providing training and facilitating the exchange of technology in these fields. Our collaboration with developing countries typically involves fellowship training, research contracts, expert assistance and the provision of laboratory equipment and infrastructure.
The efforts of the IAEA are of course determined by the funds available, but success ultimately depends on the commitment of our partners in our member countries.
Continuous national commitment to nuclear techniques and technology has made the Agency's technical co-operation programme in Ghana one of the most successful in Africa. Since Ghana became a Member State of the Agency on 28 September 1960, its nuclear programme has spanned a wide spectrum of activities, which in turn has brought the country to the forefront in many areas of the applications of nuclear techniques. This is a tribute to the vision of Ghana's leaders since the early days of independence, and to the efforts of all those who have provided encouragement to the development of Ghana's national nuclear science capacity. The IAEA has been a helping hand but has also itself benefited from your commitment by drawing on your pool of expertise for our own international staff and for providing advice and expertise to other countries. Over the years from 1968 the IAEA has provided support amounting to some US $ 8 million to nuclear development in Ghana - of this about 36% has gone to nuclear techniques in agriculture, 16% in medicine, 14% in industry and hydrology and 9% in nuclear engineering and technology.
Let me now highlight some of the important achievements resulting from the collaboration between the Agency and Ghana. Our programmes are designed to meet priority needs of our Member States and accordingly agriculture and health are major target areas.
First, let me start with an example which has a special connection with Ghana. We all know that cocoa is a cash crop of great economic importance for Ghana. However, its production has been seriously hampered over several years by the prevalence of a disease known as the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV). I am glad to tell you that an Agency- supported technical co-operation project at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana in Tafo, initiated in 1988 and completed last year, has culminated in the production of CSSV disease resistant mutants. The release of this mutant is expected to have a very positive impact on cocoa production.
The University of Science and Technology in Kumasi has been engaged in a Joint FAO/IAEA/Italy Coordinated Research Programme on the improvement of basic food crops in Africa. Through the application of ionizing radiation five cassava mutants which combine high yield, disease resistance and improved cooking quality, have been developed. At least one of these varieties is ready for large-scale field testing, multiplication, and release to farmers. I am glad to report that the Agency is presently considering the possibility of extending its support for this area to the next stage of demonstrating the field performance of these promising cassava varieties.
The collaboration between the Agency and Ghana has been equally successful in the human health sector. This collaboration which started as far back as 1974, led to the establishment of nuclear medicine services, including imaging facilities, at the Korle Bu Hospital. More recently, a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility has been set up, and low cost radiopharmaceuticals for clinical practice are now being produced on a routine basis.
The successful implementation of earlier technical cooperation projects in the medical field, led the Agency in January 1994, to initiate a Model Project aimed at the establishment of radiotherapy facilities in Accra and Kumasi. Our 'Model Projects' are intended to demonstrate the practical impact that nuclear technology can have on the community as a whole. There is no doubt that, through the implementation of this particular model project, Accra and Kumasi will evolve as major referral centres for cancer diagnosis and treatment. We were honoured in November last year by a visit to the Agency headquarters in Vienna by Ghana's First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings who has taken a particular interest in this project which has a special potential to bring benefits by way of cancer treatment to the women of Ghana.
An essential pre-requisite to the successful implementation of nuclear-related projects is adequate supporting services especially with regard to radiation safety and to instrument maintenance and repair. Here again, I note with much satisfaction the excellent facilities for personnel and environmental monitoring that exist at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. Ghana is endowed with possibly the best equipped Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory in Sub-Saharan Africa, and could offer its services on a sub-regional or regional basis, not only for training but also for calibration purposes. I understand that the radiation protection legislation, promulgated in 1993, is being enforced effectively by the newly- created Radiation Protection Board. However, the recent establishment of the gamma irradiation facility and the research reactor necessitates the consolidation of the radiation protection infrastructure. In this connection, I am pleased to note that Ghana has become one of the first four countries to participate in the Agency's inter-regional project for upgrading radiation protection infrastructure. The objective of this project is to assist a number of selected countries to strengthen their radiation infrastructure in order to comply with the international standards established by the Agency for protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiations sources. We look forward to the active participation of Ghana in this important project.
I should also refer to two other significant developments. The nuclear instrumentation laboratory, which is presently being developed through a technical cooperation project with the Agency, could subsequently be used for the benefit of the West Africa sub-region to back the efforts which are deployed by the Agency's own Instrumentation Laboratory. Also, it is important to note that the recent commissioning of the multi-purpose gamma irradiation facility has been accompanied by a technical cooperation project supported by the Agency to utilize this facility for food preservation. I understand that the Ghanaian authorities have also taken the excellent initiative to use the facility for tests with regard to the sterilization of medical supplies.
Let me now, Ladies and Gentlemen, return to the very reason for our gathering here this morning, namely, the inauguration of the Ghana Research Reactor 1 or GHARR-1. As I said, this project has been completed thanks to the active and effective commitment of the national authorities and the scientific community. I am glad that the IAEA has been able to be of assistance and that China has been such a competent supplier and participant.
With the inauguration of this reactor, Ghana is now one of the three Sub-Saharan African countries endowed with a research reactor. The main objectives of this project are very practical: to make possible improved analysis of mineral ores; production of short-lived radioisotopes for agricultural and medical use; and enhanced training in the nuclear sciences. In support of this facility a new technical co-operation project between the Agency and Ghana initiated this year will focus primarily on activation analysis, experimental reactor physics and radioisotope production. Further training for scientists, engineers and technicians is also envisaged, with a view to increasing your capabilities for the optimal utilization of the reactor facility.
Ladies and Gentlemen, there is no doubt that Ghana meets the requirements in terms of organization, national commitment, and availability of infrastructure and trained manpower to make optimal use of collaboration with the Agency. I can assure you that, from our side, we shall make every effort to consolidate and strengthen this collaboration to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy to contribute to the health and prosperity of the people of Ghana.