Kumasi, May 16, GNA - A draft Engineering Council Bill is being prepared by the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) to regulate engineering practice in the country.

The Bill, when enacted, would restrict the creation, preparation, authorization and provision of engineering products and services to only those registered under the Act.

A stakeholders' workshop is being organized nationwide by the GhIE to gather and incorporate views and concerns of members and other key stakeholders in the draft Bill. Speaking at one of the workshops in Kumasi on Tuesday, Dr Essel Ben Hagan, President of GhIE, said the challenge facing the Institution and engineers was that a large number of practicing engineers were not registered with the Institution and their practice was unregulated by any standards, norms and etiquette. He said there was the need for the Institution to facilitate the regulation and licensing of artisans, technicians and engineers and create an environment in which appropriate sanctions could be applied for professional misconduct, malpractice or other transgressions and also reward exemplary practice.

Dr Hagan said no nation could effectively engender and harness its engineering potentials without a clear-cut and institutional and legal framework to regulate the practice. He said until Engineering Council was established in Ghana, unprofessional engineering practice would continue to put the lives of people at risk and the overall national developmental agenda would be compromised.

Dr Robert Adjaye, former President of GhIE and a member of the technical team that is drafting the Bill, said the Council would prescribe and enforce professional standards in engineering work. He said the enactment of the Act would help improve the quality of goods, works and services as well as infrastructure development in the country.

Mr M.K Addai, Kumasi Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, said the country's quest to achieve a middle-income status could not be realized without the effective contribution of all professionals including engineers.

He said the country was at the crossroads and there was the need for engineers who played a crucial role, to assert themselves and contribute meaningfully to nation building.

Mr Addai expressed concern about the practice of quack engineers in the system and said the building and construction industry was facing a lot of challenge due to the practice of quack engineers who undertook shoddy works that often resulted in disasters. He cited the recent collapse of buildings in the Kumasi metropolis and said the situation had caused a lot of embarrassment to the assembly and commended the GhIE for taking the bold step to eliminate quacks and safeguard engineering practice in the country. 26 May 07