Six Technical Committees of the Engineering Council of Ghana has been inaugurated in Accra, to promote high professional standards in the practice of engineering for societal and national development.
They include Finance and Administration; Licensing and Registration; Public and International Affairs; Standards and Professional Practice; Disciplinary, Legal and Ethics and Education and Training.
Speaking at the event yesterday, the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye said the committee was also expected to effectively promote the advancement of science, engineering and technology in the country.
He charged members of the Legal and Ethics Committee to use all the legal tools available to ensure that engineering practice was well-regulated to secure the highest professional standards.
The public, he noted, had a role in promoting high professional standards by reporting defective works to the Council to take appropriate and timely corrective measures.
The minister also tasked the Education and Training Committee to take advantage of the rising technological advancement in engineering, to develop and promote educational programmes that would stir up creativity and enhance the innovative capacities of Ghanaian Engineers.
Mr Asenso-Boakye was optimistic that the Technical Committees would work with all relevant stakeholders, both locally and internationally, to meet the global and local demands and standards regarding engineering practice.
“Each of these Technical Committees has a unique and important role to play in the work of the Engineering Council. Our engineers cannot make much impact, if they operate in isolation.
They do not only have to interact with the public, but also, with their international counterparts with whom they can share knowledge and experiences to enrich engineering practice in the country,” he said
The Registrar of the Council, Mr Wise Ampofo, noted that the organisation was faced with numerous challenges, including funding and delay in the approval of fees and charges of the council, saying it was negatively affecting its work.
He said the Board would not hesitate to cancel or suspend the certificate of an engineering practitioner where “the practitioner commits an engineering offence or professional misconduct.”
Chairman of the Licensing and Registration Committee, Dr Kwame Boakye,appealed to all practitioners to contribute towards the success of the Council and the profession, saying “the key to any development is that we need to translate individual efforts into group competence.”
He called on all the committees to strive to build a strong engineering sector guided by the ethos and principles of the profession.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG &JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE