Introducing a National Radiation Protection and Safety Infrastructure in Ghana

Abstract

Ghana has for the past three decades or so been engaged in human activities which involve the exposure of people to ionising radiation from natural and man-made sources without any national legislation to control them. In pursuance of the Ghana Atomic Energy Act 204 of 1963, as amended, Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Law 308 and the enactment of further regulation, Radiation Protection Instrument, LI 1559 of 1993, the Radiation Protection Board was established to regulate the introduction and conduct of any practice involving sources of ionising radiation in the country. The Radiation Protection Board is the National Competent Authority for registration or licensing and inspection of practices in Ghana for the purposes of radiation protection and safety. Being the sole regulatory authority, it should have an inventory of all radiation sources either imported into the country, or already in existence in the country, as well as a system of control for their safe use. To achieve these goals, there has been a system of Notification, Authorisation by Registration or Licensing and Control of Radiation Sources by the Regulatory Authority