There is a growing institutional dispute involving the Architectural Society of Ghana (ASG), the Architects Registration Council (ARC) and the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA).

At the centre of the dispute is the position of the ARC regarding the recently established ASG and the subsequent memorandum circulated by the GIA to its members.

ASG, however, says it is not backing down from its professional mandate and has urged its members to remain calm as related matters proceed before the courts.

The Society was established in June 2026 as a professional body providing a platform for professional development, advocacy, education, networking and discussion on architecture and the wider built environment.

The Society maintains that it has never sought to assume the regulatory functions of the ARC. Rather, it says its purpose is to provide another platform through which professionals can participate in the development of the profession.

That distinction has become central to the unfolding dispute.

The letter at the centre of the controversy

Questions have also emerged over a letter from the ARC to the Ministry of Works and Housing concerning ASG.

The letter was subsequently referenced in a memorandum circulated by the GIA to its members.

ASG says, however, that the Society was never copied on the letter and was not provided with a copy by the ARC, despite the communication directly concerning its status.

This has left the affected professional body having to respond to a position communicated to another government institution and subsequently referenced by another professional organisation.

ASG says it considers this troubling from the standpoint of institutional communication and transparency.

The Ministry of Works and Housing is a significant stakeholder in the broader institutional architecture surrounding the built environment.

Yet, in the materials and correspondence currently available to ASG, there has been no substantive position from the Ministry itself publicly articulated on the dispute.

The ARC says its communication to the Ministry is known to have existed and has been referenced by the GIA, but ASG says it was not furnished with the correspondence.

This has inevitably left questions among professionals about the Ministry’s understanding of the competing positions and whether it intends to clarify its position as the matter unfolds.

For now, that question remains unanswered.

The courts will have the final say

ASG says it has sought to avoid turning the dispute into a public institutional confrontation.

With matters concerning its establishment and registration now before the courts, the Society says it respects the judicial process and will allow the courts to determine the issues before them.

It has also cautioned its members against becoming unsettled by the competing communications.

According to ASG, the current proceedings should not be interpreted as bringing the Society’s professional activities to a halt.

Until a final determination is made, the Society says it will continue to operate within its mandate as a registered professional body.

“We will continue the work”

The Society says its focus will remain on professional development, education, advocacy, stakeholder engagement and initiatives aimed at contributing to the future of architecture and Ghana’s built environment.

Its message to members is to remain professional, remain focused and continue the work. ASG has also indicated that it does not intend to conduct its substantive case through the media.

Instead, it says it will make its case through the appropriate processes while continuing to build the professional platform its members established.