Engineer calls for establishment of council to regulate engineering

Tamale, May 15, GNA - Dr. Essel Ben Hagan, President of the Ghana Institute of Engineers (GIE), has called for the establishment of Engineering Council to regulate the practice of the profession in the country.

"Until this is done, unprofessional engineering practice would continue to put the lives of members of the general public at risk and the overall national developmental agenda would remain compromised," he said.

Dr. Hagan was addressing a stakeholders' workshop in Tamale on Monday on the Engineering Council Bill (ECB) aimed at incorporating the views of the participants into the draft ECB.

The Ghana Institute of Engineers organized the workshop with sponsorship from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC). Participants at the workshop included five District Chief executives, engineers and stakeholders from the engineering fraternity drawn from all over the country.

Dr. Hagan, the chairman of the BUSAC technical committee, said a major challenge the engineering institution was faced with in the country was that a large number of those practicing the profession were not registered with the Ghana Institution of Engineers.

He said the unregistered members' practice could not be regulated by any standards, norms and etiquette and the institution could not sanction them under its code of ethics as a professional body because they were not legally liable.

Dr. Hagan therefore called for the regulation and licensing of artisans, technicians and engineers so as to create an appropriate environment on which sanctions could be applied for professional misconduct, malpractices and other transgressions as well as rewards given for exemplary practice.

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris Northern Regional Minister stressed the importance of engineering practice in the country and noted that the ECB to regulate the practice of the profession was in the right direction. He said the progress of the nation seemed to be hampered by inadequate performance of engineers who construct roads with large sums of money involved only for such roads to deteriorate soon after completion.

Alhaji Idris urged the Ghana Institute of Engineers to come out clearly as to who was an Engineer and who was not so as to give the public the choice in their selection for quality work done.

Dr. Robert Adjaye, past President of the Ghana Institute of Engineers, said the draft bill of the engineers was presented to the sector ministry and had passed through several stages but was yet to receive cabinet's approval.

He said under the bill a degree or diploma from a recognized institution would be used as means of acceptance to the membership and also as tool for practice in the country.

Mr. Mohammed Mushsin Zambanga, a third year student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, appealed to the Ghana Institute of Engineers to assist students studying engineering with practical knowledge since most of the students do not know much about the practicalities of the profession. 15 May 07