Ghana shows readiness to host African Space Agency

Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has announced that the West African nation is ready to host the African Space Agency—An African Union initiative that will allow the continent to launch and explore the space for improved technological advancement.

While speaking at a Meet-the-press series on Tuesday in Accra, he explained that out of the five countries bidding to host the space agency including Ghana, Namibia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt; the country is located at the centre of the world and on the equator is better placed and are prepared to host the agency for space exploration.

The minister added that apart from South Africa, Ghana is the only country on the continent with a Radio Astronomy Observatory and is also training people in Astronomy and other related fields of study.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng also said that Ghana is set to launch a supercomputer facility at the Institute of Scientific and Technological Information (INSTI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Kuntunse, near Accra, to aid in propelling the country’s socio-economy from “the Adam and Eve Economy” into a modern technology propelled one.

“Studies have already been done on the establishment of computer machine tool centres where scientists in the country will be trained on how to use computer technology to manufacture tools and spare parts that will help industrialists to operate and stop importing even simple tools to fix or manufacture their products”, he said.

The minister said that the country is getting ready to explore battery storage technology and that the lithium deposits that was recently discovered in two regions of Ghana—Western and Volta—will help in the battery storage technology that can power battery technology for vehicle and solar panels by the 2030s.

“In the next few years, battery technology is going to be very important. From 2019 to about 2030 a lot of motor vehicles manufacturers would be depending on electric cars while 80 percent of solar panels would also be using electrical”.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng urged all Ghanaians to help protect the environment so succeeding generations will survive and enjoy the world at large.

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