Senior Minister commends engineers
The Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has commended the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) for contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.
He said at the launch of the second Ghana Infrastructure Report Card 2018 in Accra that the report was testament to the institution’s commitment to help the government get first-hand information on infrastructure for the necessary action.
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Mr Osafo-Maafo made the comments when he delivered his address as the special guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the three-day Ghana Infrastructure Conference 2018 in Accra.
The event was on the theme: “Enhancing transportation infrastructure for accelerated socio-economic development”.
He said the programme aligned well with the government’s priorities.
“Transportation infrastructure is a game changer and a great enabler of rapid economic development,” he said, noting that developed countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and South Korea used strong infrastructure to catapult their economic growth.
“Today, the outcomes from these decisions in these countries are there for all to see and learn from,” he said.
He urged the GhIE to make available to the government the recommendations from the conference to enable the government to act on them.
Govt will support
Mr Osafo-Maafo assured the GhIE of the government’s support, stating that it would resource the institution to enable it to expand its coverage.
The President of the GhIE, Mr Steve Amoaning Yankson, who launched the second Ghana Infrastructure Report Card, 2018, said the objective of the institution was to promote, advance and enhance the practice of engineering to the benefit of the country.
“To achieve this objective, it is incumbent on the institution to constantly engage government on matters relating to the spatial environment by providing competent technical advice, especially on public projects,” he said.
About the second report
The first Infrastructure Report Card 2016 covered only three sectors: roads and bridges, potable water and electric power.
The overall cumulative score for the three infrastructure sectors was D2.
The acting Executive Director of the GhIE, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, explained that the newly launched report card cycle would include additional categories such as health, educational, sanitation and telecom infrastructure.
He added that every country needed a functional infrastructure backbone to thrive, emphasising that sound infrastructure was critical for long-term economic growth.
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This maiden Infrastructure Conference was a collaboration between the GhIE and the Ghana Transportation Professionals Forum (GTPF), North America, the Transportation Research Centre, KNUST, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways.