Ing. Steve Amoaning Yankson
Steve Amoaning Yankson, President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), has called on government and Parliament to institute steps to ban the manufacture of plastics, as has been done in Rwanda, Africa’s cleanest country.
Ing. Amoaning made the call when he delivered the 49th Presidential Address of the Ghana Institution of Engineering in Accra on Monday, November 19, 2018 at the Engineering Centre, Accra.
Speaking on the theme: “Engineering Effective Delivery in Sanitation,” he said “we all agree that recycling has tremendous benefits and must be encouraged. However, it appears the real culprit for the plastic menace is being left off the hook. “We have been coerced into accepting individual responsibility for a problem we have little control over. At some point, we need to address the source of the problem, which is manufacturers of plastic products.”
He said, “If the plastic manufactures are not ready to accept their responsibilities, then we have no option but to call on the government to ban the manufacture of plastics.”
On sanitation, he said Ghana has struggled to make significant progress, registering access of just 6% to 15% over a 15-year period but added that Ghana still remained among the bottom seven countries in the world with the worst access to improved sanitation.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Michael Abu Sakara, 2012 Presidential Candidate for CPP, who chaired the occasion, also added his voice to the calls.
Executive Director of GhIE, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, admonished all firms- both local and foreign- that engaged engineering practitioners in the country to comply with the Engineering Council Act, 2011 (Act 819) by ensuring such persons were duly certified to practice and were of good standing with the GhIE.
Special guest of honour, Yaw Osafo Maafo, called on all professional bodies to tackle the engineering problems confronting the nation.
He suggested that sanitation must be financed by property rates.
Other dignitaries present were Deputy Minister for Sanitation, Patrick Boamah, Joyce Amoaning-Yankson, wife of the President of GhIE, Council members of GhIE, Past Presidents of the GhIE, a delegation from the Nigerian Society of Engineers, representatives of other professional bodies, members of GhIE and the media.