The Engineering Council has urged all engineering practitioners in the country to comply with licensing regulations, launching an awareness campaign to highlight the critical importance of proper licensing.

At the inaugural CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting organised by the council under the theme ‘Engineering Excellence for National Development: A Collective Responsibility’, Registrar ING. Isaac Bedu emphasised the need for organisational support.

The council currently has around 4,562 licensed practitioners, anticipating an additional 1,000 new licenses for 2024. However, attracting and retaining qualified staff remains a challenge due to limited resources, Bedu revealed.

“For instance, staffing is an issue. The council cannot attract the requisite staff because of civil service salary levels,” Bedu explained. “The Volta River Authority has seconded staff to support us. We need other organisations to do the same so that we can perform our regulatory functions effectively once we have a solid base.”

Bedu stressed the council’s lack of financial resources to carry out its regulatory duties effectively, calling on organisations to provide financial support, human resources and logistics to bolster its capabilities.

“The Act requires all practitioners to be licensed. These practitioners work in organisations, so the starting point is ensuring your practitioners are licensed. Otherwise, the law will come after them,” Bedu warned.

In a speech read on behalf of the Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the government underscored the Engineering Council’s role in maintaining high standards and upholding ethics to enhance engineering services’ quality.

“By regulating engineering practice and licensing practitioners, the council ensures high standards and upholds ethics, enhancing the quality of engineering services delivered in the country,” the minister’s speech stated. “This fosters innovation, attracts investment and guarantees project quality and safety, benefitting organisations and the nation through assured infrastructure, efficient resource management and sustainable solutions for our growing population.”

The minister emphasised the need for government, industry and academia collaboration to nurture innovation, research and practical application of engineering principles.

“Collaboration is essential for fostering an environment that nurtures innovation, research and practical application of engineering principles,” the speech read. “We must encourage partnerships that lead to cutting-edge technologies, sustainable infrastructure and solutions to our nation’s unique challenges.”

With thousands of engineering professionals graduating annually, the minister underscored the council’s pivotal role in ensuring excellence by regulating the profession, setting rigorous standards and promoting continuous learning to safeguard public safety and create an accountable framework that promotes excellence.