Kafui Kweku Anyomdie (right) receiving his award from Atta Akyea
The Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, has cautioned prospective developers to always engage registered architects for their projects to bring sanity into the system.
He said under the ongoing review document for the Building Regulations of Ghana, the engagement of registered architects and firms for all building projects in the country is mandatory.
He said government had already launched the Ghana Building Code, a document that covers all essential areas necessary for the smooth and safe operation of the building and construction industry aimed at strengthening the regulatory regime in the industry.
Mr. Atta Akyea issued the warning at the 19th Induction Ceremony for newly registered architects by the Architects Registration Council (ARC) where 29 new architects were admitted onto the standing register of the council.
Registrar of the ARC, Mrs. Stella N.D. Arthiabah, stated that two new offices had been opened at Labone and Adum in Accra and Kumasi respectively, to regulate and facilitate the work of architects.
She said “there is ongoing registration, categorization and continuous technical development services for architectural technologists, technicians and draughts men through the National Board of Control (NBoC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Works and Housing to streamline all activities within architectural practice.
President of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), Richard Nii Dadey, underscored the need for continuous training for members, saying “in these changing times if you remain in that little niche, you will eventually become irrelevant; the way forward is to evolve yourself from end to end.”
Guest speaker was Charles Darku, Former MD of Tullow Oil. Chairman for the occasion said the contribution of architects to the development of the country could not be underestimated.
The ceremony which was held in Accra had the theme: “Regulating the Practice of Architecture – The Future.”
Overall best candidate was Kafui Kweku Anyomdie with Emefa Sedinam Ama Homenya and Abdel-Jawad Abbas occupying the second and third positions respectively.