AGI construction sector pushes for schemes, policies to boost sector
PThe Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Construction Sector is pushing for key policies and schemes to enhance the sector’s contribution to the growth of the economy.
They are the Construction Cost Indices, Construction Skills Certification Scheme, Construction Mentorship Scheme and Health, Safety and Environmental policy.
This came to light during the Star Ghana Foundation funded stakeholder dialogue and media sensitisation programme in Accra yesterday.
Attended by experts in the building, road and construction sector, the participants discussed studies which had been carried on the four aforementioned areas.
The goal was to solicit for inputs that would enrich the research output from stakeholders to help enrich the policies for the construction sector.
Speaking at the programme, the Chairman of the AGI Construction Sector, Mr Rockson Dogbegah said the construction sector was a critical sector of the economy and should be supported to grow and attract foreign exchange for the country.
He said the construction sector for instance in 2017 contributed about 13.5 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Mr Dogbegah expressed concern that in spite of the construction sector contribution to the development of the country, the sector was beset with a lot of challenges and also perceived as the one of the most corrupt areas of economic activity, hampering the sector’s growth.
Turning his focus on the four researched areas, the Chairman of the AGI Construction Sector said the development of the Construction Cost Indices would help address the current unfair pricing regime.
He said contractors were inadequately compensated for fluctuations in work and this could breed corruption.
Mr Dogbegah on the Construction Skill Certification Scheme said it would ensure that operators in the various trade areas, such as carpentry, masonry, welding, were certified.
On the Construction Mentorship Scheme, he said the policy would ensure that mentors in the construction sector were certified.
Mr Dogbegah on the health, safety and environment policy said the construction sector currently had no health and safety policy to protect the safety of workers in the sector.
“Without a clear and enforceable policy and law on health and safety in construction, there might be cover-ups by individuals and institutions when construction activities threaten the health and safety of workers,” he said.
The Director of Works at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Frank Kofi Dei asked the AGI Construction Sector to present the studies on the four areas to his outfit to inform the development of the policy for the sectors.
He explained that a policy would be developed from the information generated from the research and submit it to cabinet for onward submission to Parliament to pass into law.
By Kingsley Asare
