Encourage partnerships to develop cutting-edge technologies - Oppong Nkrumah to engineers
The Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, says stakeholders in the field of engineering must encourage partnerships that lead to the development of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable infrastructure.
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That, he said, was crucial in addition to finding solutions to the unique challenges faced by the nation.
"I hope that today as we discuss our collective responsibility to promote engineering, we will form a strong bond with the council to assist it in performing its regulatory function efficiently," he said.
Meeting
In an address read on his behalf at the Engineering Council of Ghana’s maiden Chief Executive Officers’ Breakfast Meeting in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah lauded the CEOs for responding to the call with a resolve to be part of the collective effort to promote engineering excellence in the country.
The event was on the theme: "Engineering Excellence for National Development: A Collective Responsibility".
Engineering, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said, was the backbone of any nation's development and regarded as the driving force behind innovation, infrastructure and economic growth.
"Countries that have seen immense development and growth have thrived strongly in engineering.
Thus in our efforts to see our nation develop and become prosperous, we must recognise the essential role of engineering excellence," he said.
The Works and Housing Minister said engineering practitioners constituted a large proportion of professional practitioners in the country.
For instance, he said, in November last year, KNUST alone graduated about 2,000 undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral engineering professionals.
Practitioners
"With all these engineering practitioners being produced every year, it is essential to ask whether the environment is conducive enough to absorb all the talent and to get them to practise efficiently.
"The Engineering Council has been established to play the pivotal role of ensuring engineering excellence by regulating the profession, setting rigorous standards and promoting continuous learning," he said.
That, he said, was to safeguard the integrity, competence and public safety that underpinned engineering practice, and to create a framework that promoted accountability and excellence within the engineering space.
By regulating engineering practice and licensing the practitioners, he said, the council ensured that the practice maintained high standards and upheld ethics to enhance the quality of engineering services delivered in the country.
Investment
"This, in turn, fosters innovation, attracts investment and guarantees the quality and safety of projects, thus benefiting organisations like yours.
“The nation also benefits from assured infrastructure, efficient resource management and sustainable solutions for our growing population,” he added, stressing that "collaboration among the government, industry, and academia is essential to foster an environment that nurtures innovation, research and practical application of engineering principles."
Critical
The Chairman of the Board of the Engineering Council, Ghana, Dr Kwame A. Boakye, said "I believe that no nation can develop without engineering and, Ghana, Africa, the whole world cannot go anywhere without engineering.
Because of that, those of us in the engineering field also have a certain responsibility to the nation," he said.
The Registrar of the Engineering Council, Ghana, Isaac Bedu, said one of the objectives of the meeting was to solicit their support for the council to thrive.
The support, he said, was in various forms and that they included logistics or whatever could be provided.
