Ghana Consulting Engineers Association holds AGM - Elects new president

The Ghana Consulting Engineers Association (GCEA) has elected Kwabena Bempong as the new President to steer the affairs of the association in the next two years.

He takes over from Magnus Lincoln Quarshie, who has led the association for the past three years. Other Council members were also elected to run the association in the next two years.

In a brief acceptance speech, Mr Bempong assured the association of his unflinching support to drive the GCEA agenda forward as started by his predecessors.

GCEA AGM

The election took place during the GCEA’s seventh Annual Conference and AGM held in Accra on the theme: “Sustainable Urbanisation in Ghana: Building Resilient Cities for a Better Life”.

The conference, which was held over two days, began on Wednesday, November 27, and closed with a dinner banquet at the Lancaster Hotel.

Linkage between land use, transportation

The Guest Speaker for the Conference, Richard Acquah-Harrison, speaking on the theme, said integrating land use and transportation planning was the best way to provide accessible and affordable transport systems, undertake traffic management and reduce congestion and stressful driving in the cities.

He opined that in Ghana, little attention had been given to the important linkage between land use and transportation, stressing, “There is a lack of proper understanding of the dynamic relationship between land use and transportation”.

Complexities of rapid urbanisation

Addressing delegates, the outgoing President of GCEA, Mr Quarshie, said this year’s theme was both timely and critical as the country navigated the complexities of rapid urbanisation, climate change and economic development in our cities.

He explained that infrastructure formed the backbone of society, shaping how people lived, worked and interacted; thus, it was important to consider all the dynamics when infrastructure was being developed.

“Building resilient and sustainable infrastructure, whether roads, housing, water systems, public spaces or energy grids, directly impact the quality of life of citizens, it is, therefore, always critical for all these and how it will impact the people for which they were being developed to be considered,” he stressed.

He added that access to reliable transportation shortens commute times, clean water enhances public health and sustainable energy would drive economic activities.

“Indeed, without a well-designed and maintained infrastructure system, the aspirations of resilient cities and improved livelihoods remain unattainable,” the outgoing President of GCEA stated.