The Ghana Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET-GH) has inducted 65 new members into the organisation at Wa in the Upper East Region.
At a ceremony to induct them, the outgoing President of IET-GH, Henry Kwadwo Boateng, said the country’s development challenges were not due to a lack of laws, institutions, or professionals.
He said they persisted largely because technical voices were often missing where critical decisions were made.
Mr Boateng said when engineers stayed silent, the nation paid through polluted rivers, destroyed forests, unsafe infrastructure, and costly policy failures.
Problem-solving
“Engineering is about problem-solving and protecting human life.
Yet, in Ghana, we have witnessed the unthinkable: policies that once allowed mining in forest reserves.
Although such laws have since been revoked, the damage remains, and enforcement continues to fail.
“Illegal miners still ravage our forests and water bodies, while regulators struggle to cope with the sheer number of mining licences issued.
This is not just an enforcement problem, it is a leadership and policy failure,” he said at the induction of engineering professionals in Wa in the Upper West Region last Saturday.
Engineers, he said, understood environmental impact, risk, sustainability, and long-term consequences.
“Yet too many of us retreat to our drawing boards and construction sites, leaving governance to non-technical actors.
Development decisions are therefore made without evidence, science, or foresight and society bears the cost.
“It is time to say this plainly: engineers must step into the political and policy arena.
Development without engineering input is reckless.
Silence in the face of bad policy is professional negligence. Engineers must influence legislation, challenge unsound decisions, and insist on evidence-based governance,” he said.
Policy
Beyond policy, he said the profession itself must evolve.
The world, he said, was changing rapidly, driven by technology, climate pressures, and complex systems.
Engineers who do not continuously upgrade their skills risk becoming irrelevant.
“Lifelong learning is no longer optional, it is a duty.
Universities must also be challenged.
Producing graduates without practical skills only deepens the gap between education and industry.
Engineering education must be modern, hands-on, and directly linked to the realities of the job market.
“Engineering excellence in today’s Ghana demands courage, courage to speak, to engage, and to lead.
Engineers must not only build roads and bridges; they must help build policies, institutions, and a future that works for all.
If engineers do not take responsibility for shaping national decisions, others will and not always in the nation’s best interest,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
