World Facility Management Day commemorated
The World Facility Management Day has been commemorated in Accra, with a call on practitioners to embrace innovation and push boundaries to ensure growth of the industry.
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Practitioners have also been advised to foster collaboration with other stakeholders to create an environment that is sustainable and conducive for growth. The President of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), Ghana Charter, Sampson Opare-Agyemang, was speaking at an event to commemorate the day in Accra yesterday on the theme: "Inspire, integrate, innovate: Ignite your career in FM".
The event was to highlight the critical role facility managers play to ensure a safe environment and productivity of facilities.
Capacity-building
Mr Opare-Agyemang also urged practitioners to navigate the complexities of the evolving FM landscape by building their capacity to embrace change. “Armed with a spirit of ingenuity and a willingness to explore uncharted territory, we pioneer new solutions to age-old challenges, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and unconventional strategies to revolutionise the landscape of facilities management,” he said.
The president said the increasing number of towering skyscrapers that defined urban landscapes demonstrated the importance of practitioners in maintaining and keeping such buildings safe.
He said it was also important for FM practitioners to uphold integrity in the discharge of their duties.
The Director of Tertiary at the Ministry of Education, Prof. F.K.E. Nunoo, suggested that FM programmes be introduced in some schools. “We would like to partner you establish specialised FM institutions, and the Ministry of environment is also ready to work with you on that,” he said.
The said facility managers play a crucial role in optimising the operational efficiency of educational institutions, from managing energy consumption to ensuring the safety and security of students and staff.
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A lecturer, Dr Kodwo Anson Boateng, entreated the government and duty bearers to prioritise facility management as a strategic sector. “It is time to move beyond short-sighted approaches and embrace a holistic and sustainable vision for the management of our built environment
“We must invest in expertise and technology to ensure that our facilities are not only monuments of past achievements, but vibrant hopes of activities that enrich the lives of citizens,” he added.
Support
The Chief Executive Officer of Erics Properties, Mr Enock Entsui-Mensah, also said that it was significant to bring FM discussions to the forefront of management meetings and boardrooms to empower practitioners with the needed resources to do their work.
He urged FM managers to ensure that their support services were aligned with organisations’ vision and strategy. “From the broader global perspective, the facility management market is on a trajectory of substantial growth, forecasted to grow from $1,291.6 billion in 2023, to an impressive $2,031.4 billion by 2030,” Mr Entsui-Mensah said.