Engineers and executives in the road sector have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their collective voice and influence in shaping policies and decisions that affect engineering and national development.
While they agreed that technical excellence remained central, the engineers stressed that the future of Ghana’s roads also depended on leadership, collaboration, and the willingness of engineers to engage beyond the drawing board.
The engineers reaffirmed their commitment at a special luncheon held with the President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) at the Engineering Centre in Accra.
Luncheon
The luncheon, held on December 29, provided a relaxed but purposeful space for engineers to meet, reminisce about their shared professional journeys, exchange stories about the past and present of the sector, and explore how they could better shape its future.
Discussions at the luncheon focused on policies and institutional arrangements in the road sector, the effectiveness of existing institutions, and how engineers could better influence reforms that strengthen accountability, efficiency, and long-term planning in line with Ghana’s long-term vision for the sector.
Role
Speaking at the event, the President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, Ludwig Annang Hesse, F-GhIE, urged engineers to see their role as extending beyond technical design and construction to include the “engineering” of governance, ethics and institutions.
“Engineering has not only been defined as the science and technology of building machines and structures, but also as the art of working deliberately to bring something about.
“In engineering our future, we must concern ourselves not only with infrastructure, but also with the systems governance, financial and ethical that allow those structures to serve society well,” he said.
He stressed that engineers must be present at decision-making tables to help design and implement systems that create a supportive environment for infrastructure to deliver real value to citizens.
“We must ensure that the governance frameworks around our work are sound, transparent and effective, so that the roads and systems we build truly improve lives,” he added.
Share experiences
The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Highway Authority, Christian Nti, encouraged participants to share lessons from the past and insights from the present in order to “engineer” a better future for the sector and for the country.
“The road sector, for which we have toiled so much, holds enormous promise for Ghana’s development.
“If we reflect honestly, plan thoughtfully, and act collectively, we can make that promise a reality,” Mr Nti said.
Priority
A Civil Engineer, Dr Frederick Yaw Addo-Abedi, F-GhIE, for his part, stressed that roads were central to Ghana’s socio-economic development and must, therefore, be given the priority they deserved.
He called for a strong focus on routine and periodic maintenance, an end to ad-hoc development approaches, and improved project management across the sector.
“We must prioritise maintenance, avoid ad-hoc interventions, and strengthen project management in the road sector if we want sustainable and reliable infrastructure,” he added.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
