Construction project management expert Professor Emmanuel Adinyira has announced new initiatives to advance Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) education and practice in Ghana through the Adinyira Built Environment Research (ABER) Foundation, a non-governmental - non-profit research organisation he founded to drive capacity building, knowledge transfer and networking.

Speaking at his inaugural lecture at KNUST, Prof. Adinyira emphasised the need for “a new orientation and change in attitude towards HSE through research, capacity building, knowledge transfer and networking.”

He said the ABER Foundation is poised to contribute to this effort by supporting both academic excellence and community-based initiatives.

From the 2025/2026 academic year, the Foundation will award the best student in Construction Health and Safety Management and introduce programmes such as health and safety debates and quizzes.

According to him, these initiatives are designed to encourage students to become HSE ambassadors in their homes and communities.

Looking beyond the university, Prof. Adinyira revealed plans to work with principals and teachers in senior high, technical and vocational schools to form Health and Safety Clubs that will promote safe practices among young people.

“I am particularly interested in the key you hold in changing the poor occupational health and safety in this country,” he told his student audience.

He also urged fellow researchers to ensure their work responds to urgent societal needs. “We cannot continue to publish all these papers and still witness a continuous decline in HSE performance,” he said, stressing that HSE has a direct impact on both the local and national economy, as well as the survival of communities.

Prof. Adinyira maintained that HSE knowledge is not only conceivable but ethical and pertinent, and called for collective action to translate research findings into practical solutions that safeguard public health and the environment.