The Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) - a UNESCO Centre of Excellence at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi has hosted a public workshop on sustainable construction technologies on Friday, 21st April, 2023 at the RWESCK Auditorium.
The workshop was held under the theme: “Facilitating the Implementation of Science-Based Sustainable Construction Technologies.’’ It was organised as part of an ongoing Institutional Partnership Agreement between the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In his welcome address, Professor Francis Davis, the Director of TCC, indicated that the Centre has over the years made a significant contribution to the development of construction technologies in Ghana. However, research had shown that construction systems in African countries have been modelled on developed nations, which has led to global challenges in implementing sustainable policies in housing, economics, environment, and spatial planning. To this end, he mentioned that weak government-industry-academia partnership is a major challenge that affects sustainable construction in Africa.
Professor Davis noted that to address the above challenges, the KNUST TCC has its mandate to undertake collaborative research to develop and transfer innovative engineering solutions, capacity building for dissemination of knowledge as well as policy advocacy and information sharing with stakeholders. He was hopeful that the workshop will further deepen the research interest of faculty and lead to a possible collaboration between GSA in sustainable construction technologies. He believes that the workshop will also outline the role of standardisation bodies, governments, academia, and industry in achieving this important ambition in Ghana.
Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of GSA, stated that the new GSA law mandates it to collaborate with academia and industry to design standards that would help improve the construction industry, hence, the workshop. He further encouraged stakeholders in the sector to approach the GSA and make use of the Ghana Building Code to help mitigate the effects of earthquakes and other natural disasters, should they occur.
Mr. Michael Okyere Baafi, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, reiterated the government’s readiness to support businesses in Ghana’s construction industry to thrive in the wake of the global economic crisis. He said that the government was keen on partnering with various technical institutions and private sector players by introducing policies that would enhance the sector amid the country’s competitive built environment.
Mr. Baafi noted that the government recognises the role of institutional partnerships in coming up with policies and directives that would improve the building and construction industry and is, therefore, seeking more collaborations with industry players to enhance the sector. He further encouraged stakeholders to involve themselves in policy-making processes to contribute to the development of the sector.
Dr. Wolfram Schmidt, a Senior Researcher at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing – Germany (BAM), in a presentation, highlighted the future developments in cement and concrete technologies. He noted that his outfit was ready to collaborate with Ghana’s construction industry to find sustainable, effective, and alternative materials for construction.
The workshop provided an overview of the academic, government, and business strategies for developing novel construction materials, construction chemicals, and sustainable binders for a sustainable built environment in Africa, specifically Ghana. Stakeholders that attended the workshop included representatives from Ghana Cement Limited (GHACEM); KNUST’s College of Engineering; Engineering Council; Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI); MoTI; GSA, among others.