The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), Reverend Professor Charles Anum Adams, has called on engineers and engineering institutions not to isolate themselves from national development discourse.
He said voices of engineers and engineering institutions must be heard on national development issues.
Rev. Prof. Anum said this at the opening of the 2022 Annual Conference and the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the GhIE on Tuesday and urged governments in Africa to pay sufficient attention to the practice of engineering in their respective countries.
“No country has ever developed without its engineers or a high input of sound professionals,” he said.
Under the theme “Engineering, key to achieving national development,” the GhIE President said the conference sought to explore how African leaders were using engineering to develop and maintain infrastructure of their respective countries.
“In this year’s conference, the GhIE hopes to bring focus and attention to the Ghana National Infrastructure plan which was developed by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). Although the NDPC has made the plans, we are not confident that the content is adequately discussed among practitioners and professionals,” Prof.Anum, said.
The conference, he said would discuss the national infrastructure plan with plenary presentations and roundtable from consultants and practitioners.
The Executive Director of GhIE, David Nyante, explained that the GhIE Annual Conference, the flagship programme of the institution, brought together engineers from across the country, Africa and the World to learn and discuss thoughts, share ideas and experiences, create new ideas, network and spark innovation.
He said the programme was attended by representatives from organisations such as Water Research Institute, Building and Road Research Institute, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Highway Authority, Department of Urban Roads, SD-Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UDS) Wa.
Mr Nyante said there were delegations from the Nigeria Society of Engineers led by its President, Tasid Wudil and Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers, also led by its President, Trudy Morgan. (Ghanaian Times.)