The President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), Engr. Mustafa Shehu has called on African Engineering Practitioners to take the destiny of the continent into their own hands by influencing policy makers to accept the fact that everything developmental is engineering.

Speaking at the closing banquet & Engineering Excellence awards of the week-long 54^th AGM and 2024 Engineering Conference of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), the President of WFEO, Engr. Mustafa Shehu said, every developmental project has engineering solution, so if it takes some of the engineering practitioners to enter into politics to change the narratives, it should be done.

“All developmental projects are engineering, so we should not disappoint the next generation and generation unborn by building resilient infrastructure. It is no more necessary to blame anybody outside our continent for our predicaments. We have all it takes to develop Africa ourselves”, Engr. Mustafa Shehu added.

The President of GhIE, Ing. Kwabena Bempong used the occasion to express gratitude to the international guests, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Burkina Faso.

He also thanked GhIE members who participated fully in all the programmes and activities of the conference.

He also expressed a special appreciation to the President of WFEO, Engr. Mustafa Shehu for attending the conference and staying throughout the week-long activities.

Fraternal gifts were presented by the President of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala and President of Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE), Ing. Trudy Morgan, and they were received by Ing. Kwabena Bempong on behalf of GhIE.

Awards were presented to individuals and organizations who have made valuable contributions that have promoted key engineering solutions. Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, of the Maths and Science Quiz fame, won the Distinguished Woman in engineering award. She also won the Projects/Practitioners award. Erastus Asare Donkor of Multimedia Group, won the Engineering Evangelism award. Academic City University College won the Innovation, Applied Science and Maths award (Tertiary), while Young Innovators category was won by Afia Kobi Ampem Girls’ SHS (High School).

Other winners of the Engineering Excellence awards were: Ing. Timothy Kofi Ametefe, who won the Outstanding Engineering Knowledge and Exemplary Achievement award; two entities, VRA (Kumasi Thermal Power Project Team) and GAMA Water and Sanitation Project, won the Implementation of Engineering Solutions awards; whilst, SAYeTECH Company Ltd and VRA (Kpong Generation Station) won the Engineering Concepts and Innovation awards.

The rest of the award winners were: Ing. Dr. Williams Ackaah won the Most Published Author in Engineering Award; Engineering Business Management award was won by Ing. Akim Adio Tijani; while the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) won the Research & Academic-Industrial award.

At the ceremony, Honorary Fellow was conferred on Dr. Mrs. Irene Stella Agyenim-Boateng, a highly respected Human Resources Management Expert. The ceremony also saw twelve (12) Engineering Practitioners who have distinguished themselves elevated to the Fellow status.