The President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana (IET-GH), Henry Kwadwo Boateng, has called for urgent investment in the engineering departments of the Local Government Service to ensure sustainable infrastructure development across the country.
Speaking on the theme: “Equipping the Engineering Department of Local Government Service for Sustainable Infrastructure Development”, he emphasised that sustainable growth depended not only on sound policies but also on the tools, training and empowerment of local engineers.
He said this at the Local Government Service Engineers Association (LoGSEA) Annual General Meeting at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Departments
He said engineering departments must be adequately resourced with tools, equipment and mobility to deliver the quality infrastructure communities require.
Mr Boateng further urged assemblies to sponsor continuous in-service training so engineers remain abreast of modern trends in sustainable engineering.
The IET-GH President also cautioned against over-reliance on internally generated funds (IGF) for recurrent expenditure.
He recommended that part of the revenue especially from development control should be transparently channelled into infrastructure development.
Example
Citing an example, he narrated how a head of works at a municipal assembly initiated a revenue-raising exercise to regularise buildings, using his private pick-up for the task.
The exercise generated substantial revenue, leading to the purchase of two new pickups for the works department.
However, the vehicles were reassigned to senior officials, leaving the engineers demoralised and under-resourced.
“This misplaced priority is discouraging. If resources meant for engineering work are diverted elsewhere, how can we expect sustainable infrastructure delivery?” he asked.
