The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)-Ghana has called for proper development and regulation of the construction industry.

“Four months ago, Ghanaians woke up to a shocking disaster when the multi-storey building housing the popular shopping centre, Melcom collapsed and claimed 14 dear lives.

“The grief and national attention that greeted this sad event lasted for over a week. We, as a country are quick to forget our pains as well as the anger and public pressure to correct the wrongs that caused such an accident,” CIOB stressed in a statement issued and signed by Rockson Dogbegah, its chairman lately.

However, CIOB, a professional body comprising construction managers, surveyors, architects, planners and engineers, has vowed not to “sleep on this incident and is determined to work with others to fix the broken regulatory system for the construction industry.”

“It is imperative that people feel safe in buildings that they use day in and day out. Investors must get value for money from their investments and therefore we, the professionals, must ensure that clients and investors get quality and value from the regulators of the industry.

The kind of recklessness, total disregard for compliance with regulations, undue delay in securing permits, changes in the use of structures for which licenses have been granted without proper permit and appropriate technical adjustments, must cease.”

In view of the foregoing, CIOB, in collaboration with other built environment institutions, called for a

regular engagement of all major stakeholders at both the national and local authority level until the challenges be-devilling the construction industry are addressed.

It also noted that it will organize a workshop to review all the protocols involved in regulating the construction industry in Ghana and jointly advise on the gaps and make appropriate recommendations collectively to Government and stakeholders.

While pledging to support various programmes by government and relevant authorities to enforce the rules and regulations guiding the industry, it added that it will

work together with other industry players to drive the agenda for the establishment of a Construction Industry Development Board (as a development and regulatory authority) for the industry.

It additionally announced plans to rollout programmes to build the capacity of contractors and consultants in order to promote professionalism as well as learn best practices from other countries such Singapore and Malaysia and adapt them to suit Ghana.

“We believe that the best legacy and memorial we can leave for the lives that were lost in the Melcom disaster and other such building collapses will be to work to cure the ills in the Industry in our life time. Our buildings must be shelters and not death traps.”