Workshop on regulating Ghana’s construction industry opens
A workshop on regulating and sanitizing the construction industry in Ghana opened in Accra on Thursday with a call on stakeholders in the building environment to help weed out the non-professionals.
Mr Paul Victor Obeng, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), said contractors must help to insulate the industry from the non-professionals to ensure its development.
The workshop spearheaded by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB-Ghana) aims at reviewing all the protocols involved in regulating the construction industry in Ghana.
It also seeks to deliberate on the existing gaps and make appropriate recommendations to government and stakeholders.
Mr Obeng said contractors must implement projects with good quality delivery in their mindset since that was important in project delivery.
Mr Rockson Dogbegah, Center Chair of CIOB-Ghana, said regular engagement of all major stakeholders at both the national and local authority level was necessary to deal with the challenges be-devilling the construction industry.
He said the total disregard for compliance with regulations, delays in securing permits, changes in the use of structures for which licenses have been granted without proper permit and appropriate technical adjustments, must be dealt with to ensure safety of all.
Presentations at the workshop will touch on regulation, health and safety, issuance of permits, planning practices, procurement and the infrastructure development.
There will also be discussions on the current rules, regulations and protocols governing the construction industry with the view to identifying the gaps and finding remedies.
Speakers expected to present a paper are Alan Crane-Global President CIOB, Professor George Ofori-Singapore National University and Gerald Khonje, Technical Director, National Construction Industry Council, Malawi.
The rest are from the Built Environment Professional Institutions, Public Agencies, Metropolitan Assemblies, Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, Ministry of Roads and Highways, and other major stakeholders.
Source: GNA