URGENT NEED FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE ARCHITECTS ACT, 1969 (NLCD 357)

Your Excellency,
Your recent visit to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources (MWHWR), where you
received a briefing on the Ministry’s mandate, progress, and challenges, is both timely and welcome.
The challenges facing the Ministry and the nation as a whole will benefit from continued engagement
and the steady implementation of solutions. At the heart of Ghana’s housing, infrastructure, and urban development challenges lies a deeper problem that is rarely confronted directly.

While most built-environment regulatory frameworks have been updated to reflect modern governance and constitutional standards, the Architects Act, 1969 (NLCD 357), remains frozen in time. Enacted 57 years ago, well before the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution, the law continues to regulate a critical segment of the construction industry despite being outdated and constitutionally vulnerable. It no longer aligns with Ghana’s democratic order, contemporary governance standards, or the realities of the modern professions in the construction sector.

The consequences are real and costly:

Constitutional tensions arising from provisions that compel membership in voluntary
associations as a condition for practising a profession, limiting freedom of association.

Weak and undemocratic governance structures that limit accountability and access to justice,

Regulatory blind spots that leave key actors, architectural technologists, draughtsmen, and interior
designers, and thousands of first-degree architecture graduates, largely unregulated.

Institutional overlaps that blur the line between regulation and associations undermine public trust.

Your Excellency, Ghana cannot meaningfully address its housing deficit, urban congestion, or infrastructure quality while operating under laws that no longer serve the public interest. The continued postponement of legislative reform in this area is no longer neutral; it is harmful.

We respectfully call for your visit to the Ministry to mark a decisive turning point, with the following steps urgently required:

A clear executive signal for the comprehensive review and reform of the Architects Act, 1969.

A transparent, inclusive stakeholder process led by the Ministry, in collaboration with the Attorney-General and Parliament.

A modern regulatory framework aligned with the 1992 Constitution, democratic governance, and international best practice.
This is a moment for leadership, not gradualism. The built environment shapes lives, safety, and economic growth. Ghana cannot afford further delay.

History will remember not the briefing received, but the action taken.