A member of the Council of State of the Republic of Ghana, Sam Okudzeto, has charged African Engineering Practitioners to be bold and courageous in the discharge of their engineering duties.

According to him, “when he looks at the profiles and various groups within the various engineering fields and the specialisations involved, it looks like there is nothing that we can do without engineering, and that should make you proud as engineering practitioners. What engineering practitioners need is to be bold and courageous so that politicians and society do not push them around in the discharge of their professional responsibilities”.

Sam Okudzeto said this when he delivered his speech as the Special Guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the 54th Annual General Meeting and 2024 Engineering Conference of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) at the Fiesta Royale Hotel, Accra.

Speaking on the theme: Engineering a Resilient Future: Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Ghana, Mr. Okudzeto suggested to the leadership of GhIE to organise a trip to Dubai and Qatar for its members to see innovative solutions for infrastructure development and state-of-art designs.

He added that even though most countries in the Middle East are in the desert, they distil seawater to do everything, including watering plants and flowers.

He welcomed the President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), Engr. Mustafa Shehu to Ghana and called on participants to exchange ideas with their international participants to build a better nation for Ghana, Africa and the World at large.

“What you know is only a fraction of the whole. Engineering is very important to National Development, try to get other countries involved and never allow anyone to belittle you”, he charged the Engineering Practitioners.

Speaking at the conference, the President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), Engr. Mustafa Shehu said, the Ghana Institution of Engineering is an important and active National member of the World Federation of Engineering Organization as well as the host to the WFEO Policy/Implementation Committee of Women in Engineering (WiE).

The World Federation of Engineering President said there is global attention on Africa at the United Nations and all its agencies as well as some international organisations. He reminded African engineering practitioners that without capacity development, chances are relatively minimal that the African Union Agenda 2063, a vision focusing on a sustainable transformation of Africa in the next 50 years, will succeed in achieving its goals.

In his address, the President of GhIE, Ing. Kwabena Bempong said “for a country like Ghana, and dare I say, many third world countries, we are very vulnerable to external shocks such as the current geopolitical wars, pandemics and climate change, with their attendant impact on our economic fortunes. It is thus important that as engineering practitioners, we play our part by designing and providing resilient infrastructure for our development.”

“To achieve this, there is the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative approaches, a new mind set and long-term planning to build infrastructure that can withstand the challenges of the future”, he added.

Ing. Bempong expressed appreciation to the international guests who came from far and near to attend the conference.

He mentioned and welcomed Engineering Practitioners from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Burkina Faso.

He also thanked GhIE major sponsors like Volta River Authority, MC Bauchemie, VACC Technical Ltd and other Exhibitors which has made the organisation of this year's AGM and Conference possible.

The conference was called to order by the Executive Director of GhIE, Ing. David Kwatia Nyante, who said, the annual gathering serves as a platform for engineering practitioners and thought leaders to come together, share knowledge, collaborate, network and contribute to the advancement of our nations sustainable development.

He added that the theme for the conference underscores the pressing need for the engineering community to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, arising from technological disruptions, global economic shifts and be innovative to help the nation to be sustainable.

Fraternal messages were delivered by the President of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala; President of Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE), Ing. Trudy Morgan; representatives from Liberia and Burkina Faso.

The Chairman of Engineering Council of Ghana, Ing. Kwame Boakye; Immediate Past President of WAFEO, Ing. Leslie Alex Ayeh and Immediate Past President of FAEO Ing. Carlien Bou-Chedid, all delivered goodwill messages to the conference.