Accra, Aug 6, GNA - The Architects Registration Council of Ghana on Thursday inducted 32 newly-admitted architects into the Council in Accra and charged the inductees to contribute towards the improvement of the construction industry. Mr Albert Abongo, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, who performed the induction ceremony, tasked the architects to design alternative but quality cost-effective building materials to reduce the cost of construction.

"This is the first challenge that I believe young architects being inducted into the profession should give themselves if they are to brace themselves up in order to be relevant to Ghana's development process," he said.

Mr Abongo called for a well regulated regime to properly address the issue of professional consultancy fee for architects in order to give consultants a fair wage as well as value for services paid by government and the public.

He expressed the hope that the newly-admitted architects would observe the requirements and oath of professional conduct and ethics. Prof Ralph Mills-Tettey, Registrar of the Council, decried the upsurge of slums in the country and called on the inductees to be committed towards the proper planning and development of communities. "An outdooring ceremony for architects should not just be a celebration but a reminder that there is a lot of work that needs to be done in solving the problems of our cities and nation," he said. Ms Calien Bou-Chedid, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, expressed worry that many weak public structures straddled educational institutions across the country and described such structures as uninspiring for learning.

She also expressed disquiet over the fact that many people were only concerned about the functionality of buildings than the aesthetic aspect and described such attitude as unfortunate. Ms Bou-Chedid said paying attention to maintaining and beautifying buildings was not only a healthy way of living, but also promoted sustainability of the culture and traditions of a group of people portrayed and borne by such buildings.

She called on the architects to use environmentally friendly materials as a way of promoting health and sustainability in the country.

The new architects swore the architects' oath and were presented with certificates that officially licensed them to legally operate as professionals.

Four of them who excelled in their eight-year minimum course of study were awarded various prices for their performance in the Professional Practice Examination.

They were Ms Joana Naa Lamiley Lamptey and Mr George Arko-Folson, co-winners of overall Best Performance in 2008, Mr Kwadwo Banin, first runner-up for Best Performance and Mr Selasi Kofi Aidam, second runner-up for Best Performance.

Ms Lamptey, who works with a private architectural consultancy, told the Ghana News Agency that the journey to attain her professional qualification had been tortuous but not regrettable.

She said it was determination and discipline that helped her to sail through the turbulent times of the professional pursuit. Ms Lamptey said it was high time the country introduced environmentally friendly materials in the building and construction industry, to reduce the burden of maintenance cost on a fledgling economy like Ghana.

Mr Banin, who works with a consulting firm, said he was challenged by the award to contribute his quota towards improving the standard of performance in the building sector.

He expressed worry over the fact that some Ghanaians treated with contempt buildings made of wood and other environmentally friendly materials and called for a change in attitude. "We need to use our position as architects to educate and re-orient Ghanaians on the importance of using such cost-effective but quality materials to build more houses for the average Ghanaian to have a decent place to lay their heads," Mr Banin said.