On August 24, 2017, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will officially inaugurate Ghana and West Africa’s first radio telescope.
The GH ₵30 million Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory which is stationed at Kutunse in the Greater Accra Region will monitor movements of planets in space and help promote the use of scientific technologies in Ghana.
The project is a partnership between the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) African Project, a South African entity, with funding from the African Renaissance Fund.
Background
The project began in 2011 after an agreement was signed between the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and Vodafone Ghana for the transfer of an abandoned antennae.
After the transfer, the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) was established to facilitate the conversion of the facility into a radio telescope.
By June 2019, the South African partners will officially hand over the project fully to Ghana.
Source: Daily Graphic
