Registrar of the Engineering Council of Ghana, Engineer Wise Ametepe, has appealed to the general public for financial support to enable them carry out Structural Integrity Audits on public buildings.

According to the Engineer, no public building in the country has ever undergone any structural integrity audit. This, he said puts such buildings at risk of collapse in the event of earthquakes or any violent storm.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Wednesday, he explained that the situation is due to "lack of financial support."

"The Engineering Council doesn't have funds. We have to go through the Ministry of Finance for our fees and charges to be approved and it hasn't been done, so we are somehow handicapped," he said.

According to the Engineer, the audit for the first phase will cost GH₵1.2 million, thus, he is appealing to well-meaning Ghanaians to come to the aid of the Council.

Background

President Akufo-Addo on April 8, 2021, directed the Engineering Council under the Ministry of Works and Housing to conduct an integrity audit of all public facilities to ascertain their preparedness for disasters, specifically earthquakes.

The President issued the directive when he announced his acceptance of a report by a committee of experts on Ghana's preparedness for earthquakes.

Speaking at the forum to discuss the content of the report of the committee, President Akufo-Addo charged the engineers to perform the audit and advise government on steps to be taken.

“The experts tell us the earthquake does not kill. However, it is the collapse of the structures that is responsible for the human and economic losses. This means that to avoid or reduce these losses we need to ensure that buildings including dwellings, dams, and bridges are structurally competent and resilient to earthquakes of higher magnitude.

He added, “constructing well-engineered structures including dams and roads and retrofitting important public lifeline buildings such as hospitals and schools cannot be compromised. That is why I asked the Engineering Council of the Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure that comprehensive integrity audit of all public buildings and structures is conducted and government appropriately advised,” he said.

The audit is, however, is yet to be conducted.