Ghana upgrades status of its nuclear power programme

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has ordered that the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO) be transferred from the Ministry of Energy to the Office of the President, “World Nuclear News” has reported. This was, he said in his statement, “to enhance proper coordination among the key institutions already established”. In 2008, the then Ghanaian government decided that nuclear power should form part of the country’s future energy mix. This led to the formation of the GNPPO in 2012, and in 2013 the country formally submitted a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), declaring its intention of developing a peaceful nuclear energy programme.