The Ghana Consulting Engineers Association (GCEA) has launched the FIDIC Africa Infrastructure Conference (FAIC 2026) in Accra, setting the stage for discussions on closing Africa’s infrastructure gap and strengthening professional capacity in the sector.
The event, unveiled at the Engineering Centre at Roman Ridge yesterday, is designed to bring practitioners together ahead of the main conference in May to address financing shortfalls that continue to constrain development across the continent.
The conference will take place in Ghana from May 10 to May 13, 2026, on the theme: “Future Ready Infrastructure: Advancing Africa through innovation and sustainability”.
According to the association, the gathering will provide a platform for engineers, policymakers and investors to exchange ideas on sustainable delivery models and improved standards in project execution.
The President of GCEA, Kwabena Bempong, said Africa’s infrastructure financing needs remained significant, with estimates placing the annual gap between US$130 billion and $170 billion, and a funding shortfall of about $68 billion to $108 billion.
“The gap had continued to limit growth, job creation and access to services such as energy, water and transport across the continent,” he said.
Focus on knowledge
Mr Bempong indicated that consulting engineers were central to ensuring that investments in infrastructure yielded lasting value, stressing the importance of continuous professional development.
“Practitioners needed to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to prevent investments from being wasted and to deliver resilient systems,” he said.
He noted that the conference sought to standardise sustainable practices, create room for innovation and influence development planning in African countries.
“Consulting engineers had served as custodians of responsible infrastructure delivery and had ensured projects were designed with future needs in mind,” he said.
The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), Ludwig Annang Hesse, outlined the international relevance of the federation and its frameworks.
“The federation has, since 1913, become the global voice for consulting engineers and has provided standard contract conditions widely used by institutions, including the World Bank,” he said.
He invited participants from across the continent to attend the Accra conference, noting its importance to regional collaboration.
“The meeting has offered Africa an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and deepen engagement with global engineering systems,” he said.
Delivering the keynote address, Kofi Asare-Yeboah, traced the development of African participation in the federation and its regional structures.
He said early African member associations had joined in the 1960s to secure recognition, leading to the formation of a unified African platform in 1993 that strengthened networking and capacity building.
“The evolution has ensured that consulting engineers from the continent are active contributors to infrastructure development rather than observers,” Mr Asare-Yeboah said.
He pointed to past conferences and organisational expansion as evidence of growing influence.
“The regional gatherings and institutional presence across Africa have built momentum for collaboration and knowledge exchange,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
