GhIE Branch 4 explores collaborative opportunities with UG and Ghana Air Force
The Greater Accra Branch of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), known as Branch 4, has initiated discussions to explore potential areas of collaboration with two key institutions, the University of Ghana and the Ghana Air Force, as part of efforts to deepen its engagement with industry and academia.
These engagements took the form of separate courtesy calls to the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana and the Directorate of Engineering at the Ghana Air Force Headquarters, Burma Camp.
The Chair of GhIE Branch 4, Kwofie Pinto, explained that the purpose of the visits was to familiarise GhIE officials with the engineering operations at both institutions and to encourage adherence to the Engineering Council Act, 2011 (Act 819) and its accompanying Legislative Instrument (LI 2410).
At the University of Ghana, the delegation was received by the Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences, Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, a Fellow of the GhIE. She urged the institution to consider re-establishing the previously strong relationship between the GhIE and the university’s engineering faculty, particularly in areas of departmental governance and professional involvement.
She recalled that the GhIE had previously run programmes in partnership with the faculty and expressed her desire to see that collaboration revived.
Prof. Kaufmann also highlighted the five engineering programmes currently offered at the university: Agricultural Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Food Process Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering.
During the visit to the Ghana Air Force Headquarters, the GhIE team engaged with senior officials including the Deputy Chief Staff Officer in charge of Logistics, Group Captain Ismael Djagmah; Director of Engineering, Group Captain Yaw Gyimah; Wing Commander Joe Ntiamoah; and Wing Commander Selby.
Group Captain Gyimah outlined the scope of engineering work within the Air Force, which includes Mechanical, Electrical, Agricultural, and Aeronautical Engineering. He appealed to the GhIE to consider the rigorous engineering training and operational structures within the military and proposed a differentiated entry pathway for Air Force personnel seeking GhIE membership.
He also advocated for special professional dispensations such as structured internship opportunities at external engineering firms for military artisans, as well as formal certification programmes.
Furthermore, Group Capt. Gyimah encouraged the GhIE to integrate more engineers, technologists, and craftsmen from the Army, Air Force, and Navy into its operations to strengthen the enforcement of the Engineering Council Act.
The GhIE Branch 4 delegation included the Director of Membership Services at GhIE, Juliet M. Gbormittah.
