The Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, through the Public Lectures Committee invites the academic community and the general public to a Professorial Inaugural Lecture to be delivered by: Professor Emmanuel Adinyira as scheduled below:

Abstract of the Lecture

Topic: Beyond the Fence: Transferring Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Knowledge From Construction Sites to Host Communities

In the context of construction projects, particularly in developing communities, a significant and often overlooked challenge is the knowledge gap between contractors and their host communities regarding Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) practices. While first-class contractors operate with technical expertise, regulatory frameworks, and industry standards, the surrounding communities — those living closest to the risks created by the contractors’ activities — often lack basic HSE awareness. As a people, we celebrate physical infrastructure as a sign of progress, but neglect the invisible, long-term infrastructure of safety knowledge, environmental stewardship and community resilience. The lecture confronts this paradox not from a point of criticism, but from a point of creatively conceptualising an answer to the following question, born from the lecturer’s everyday experiences working on construction sites and living in a developing community.

Can HSE knowledge, typically confined to construction sites, be meaningfully and sustainably transferred to the local populations, groups, or settlements that are directly or indirectly affected by construction projects, due to their proximity to the project area?

Ghana, according to the 2024 Sustainable Development Report, has made limited progress towards achieving 41.1% of the SDG targets, with a worsening performance observed across 26% of the targets. Of particular interest in this lecture is Ghana’s performance on Goals 3 (i.e., Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being), 6 (i.e., Clean water and sanitation), 8 (i.e., Decent work and economic growth), and 11 (i.e., Sustainable cities and communities). The three core elements of health, safety, and environment remain vital for sustainable development. These three elements have a direct impact on both the local and national economies, as well as our very survival. However, considering the limited progress towards achieving these SDGs and with only five years to go, how can we look beyond Agenda 2030? To understand the landscape of construction project host communities and to put the HSE issues in a proper perspective, the lecture will shed light on the state of HSE in Ghanaian communities generally. 

Despite the reported improvement in the state of HSE on major construction sites due to the increased adoption of sound policies and techniques, construction activities continue to harm host communities, causing environmental damage such as air and water pollution, noise and vibration, and waste generation, which disrupts daily life and creates health and safety hazards. The HSE situation in many Ghanaian communities remains a serious cause for concern, with issues ranging from poor sanitation to unsafe working conditions and a lack of awareness about basic health practices at home and other public spaces. The lecture argues the case for transferring superior HSE knowledge beyond the construction site fence to help address what is clearly a missed opportunity in local empowerment and sustainability. From both theoretical and practical standpoints, the lecture will seek to answer the following questions specifically:

Is the Successful Transfer of Construction HSE Knowledge to Host Communities Plausible or Unrealistic?

How and what is a community expected to learn from a contractor when they are engaged in dissimilar activities?

Arguments in support of the plausibility of the proposition put forward will be supported by evidence from empirical studies, observations, and the development and validation of a framework for transferring HSE knowledge from contractors to host communities. With an invitation to academia, industry, and government to reimagine construction as a platform for empowerment, not just physical development, the lecture will advance necessary policy recommendations at both the governmental and institutional levels.

Finally, since unintentional injuries within the home environment have not received the same level of attention as occupational injuries, the lecture will provide some basic tips to improve HSE performance in the home.

Keywords: Community health, safety and environmental practices; construction project host communities; construction project site; and home health, safety, and environmental practices.

Profile of Professor Emmanuel Adinyira

FOSHA; FGIOC; MGhIS; PET. IET (Gh); MISDS,  BSc (Kumasi); Cert.OHS (UK); PhD (Kumasi)

(Former Vice-Dean, Faculty of Built Environment, KNUST)

Background

Professor Emmanuel Adinyira is a distinguished academic and professional in the field of construction project management, currently serving as a professor in the Department of Construction Technology and Management at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. He is the youngest academic to achieve the rank of professor in this discipline in Ghana. He holds a PhD in Building Technology and has extensive experience in both industry and research, particularly in construction project management. He is a highly sought-after speaker at both national and international conferences on health, safety, and sustainable development.

Born on Sunday, November 12, 1978, in Hohoe, Volta Region, Ghana, to Mr. Emmanuel Daniel Adinyira and Mrs. Mercy Deynu Adinyira, both of blessed memory, Emmanuel spent most of his formative years in Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana. His Dad and Mom hailed from Amedzofe and Agbozume, respectively, both in the Volta Region of Ghana. When he was only 4 years old, his mother, a professional nurse and qualified midwife, was transferred to Effiakwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi/Takoradi, Western Region. The family therefore moved to Takoradi in 1982 to join their father, who was then working as a naval officer in Sekondi. Living with the family at a military quarters in West Tanokrom, Emmanuel was brought up in a home that welcomed everyone. Their home was like a mini-clinic where family and neighbours came for injections, treatment and counselling.

Emmanuel began his lower primary education at Nav-West Primary, a basic school for the Armed Forces located near GSTS in Takoradi. He was later transferred to the Air Force Complex primary school, also an Armed Forces basic school, located near the Air Force base in Takoradi. He received his Junior Secondary School (JSS) education at the Air Force Complex JSS, where he graduated as the overall best student in the 1993 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). He was admitted on a Government of Ghana as well as Cocoa Board scholarship to read General Science at Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS), also in Takoradi, where he graduated with distinction. While waiting to be admitted to the University, Emmanuel enrolled on a Higher National Diploma (HND) Civil Engineering programme at Takoradi Polytechnic. In 1999, he successfully took the university entrance examination and gained admission to KNUST to read BSc Building Technology. He therefore had to truncate his programme at Takoradi Polytechnic. At KNUST, he graduated with First Class Honours in 2003 and worked as a Teaching Assistant at the then Department of Building Technology for his National Service.

Early Career Research Experience

After National Service, Emmanuel was admitted to an MPhil/PhD programme in Building Technology under the KNUST Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Development Programme. Having completed all the taught courses at the Master’s level at the department, his programme was converted to a PhD in Building Technology. With a study abroad grant from the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF), he undertook part of his doctoral studies at the globally acclaimed Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering of Loughborough University in the UK. Emmanuel graduated with his PhD in 2008 and joined KNUST as a lecturer in 2009. In 2010, he was admitted to the Brown International Advanced Research Institute (BIARI) at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, for a fellowship programme in Technology Entrepreneurship and Management. He also took a certificate course in Occupational Health and Safety Management, organised by ICM-UK in 2011. In 2018, he again received the offer of a Fellowship from the BIARI and the Africa Population Health Research Centre (APHRC) to participate in the Health and Social Change in Africa programme, hosted at the Africa Population Health Research Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. He has also undertaken several certificate courses, including Primavera P6, a Certificate in Teaching and Learning Skills and a Certificate in Higher Education Pedagogy. He is a Certified Instructor in KNUST Online Teaching Course. As a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Professor, Visiting Professor, Research Fellow, and Consultant, his research focus has primarily been on risk management, sustainable development, health, safety, and the well-being of people in the construction industry and these affected by construction activities.

Academic and Administrative Experience

Emmanuel was appointed a Lecturer in 2009 at the Department of Building Technology, KNUST. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013, Associate Professor in 2019, and Full Professor in 2022. Professor Adinyira is a former Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment at KNUST. He has on different occasions served as examinations officer and postgraduate coordinator in the Department of Construction Technology and Management. Over the years, he has served on several statutory and ad-hoc committees at the University, as well as on national and international committees. At the University level, Professor Adinyira currently serves as the chairman of the University Sports Management Board. He has served as chairman of the Faculty of Built Environment Conference Committee, a member of the University Safety Committee, a member of the KNUST School of Graduate Studies Board, a member of the CABE Strategic Plan Committee, a member of the CABE Examination Audit Team, and Non-Professorial Representative on the then College of Architecture and Planning Board. At the national level, Professor Adinyira chairs the Board of Governors of WBM Zion Senior High School in Tafo, Ghana. He has, at different times served as a member of the National Executive Council of the Ghana Institution of Construction, member of the Governing Council of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology Committee to provide manifesto recommendations for Ghana’s political parties, a member of the Panel of Experts for Infrastructure Forum for Tertiary Educational Institutions in Ghana, a member of Janie Speak A.M.E. Zion Hospital, Akomadan-Afrancho Hospital Board. Internationally, Professor Adinyira served as the chairman of the local organising Committee for the 2024 Joint CIB Safety, Health, and Well-being in Construction (W099) and People in Construction (W123) International Conference, held at KNUST. The conference brought together practitioners and researchers from 13 countries: the UK, the USA, Ghana, Spain, Bahrain, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, Nigeria, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Malaysia and Germany. He has served as a visiting scholar at Loughborough University, UK; the University of Johannesburg, South Africa; the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK; and Linnaeus University, Sweden. He is a Peer-Reviewer for South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and also an external examiner for the Central University of Technology and the University of Johannesburg, both in South Africa. Emmanuel has spoken at over 30 international conferences in over 12 countries.

Teaching, Thesis Supervision and Examination

Emmanuel has taught several courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University. Before joining the University as a lecturer, he had worked as a teaching assistant, a demonstrator, and an Institute of Distance Learning facilitator at KNUST. He also briefly worked as an instructor at the Building Technical Institute in Kumasi. He is credited with developing a Construction Health and Safety Management course and a Project Health, Safety, Environment, and Social Impact Management course for inclusion in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, respectively, in his department. He has successfully supervised twelve (12) PhD candidates. He has also successfully supervised seventeen (17) MPhil students, over eighty (80) MSc/CEMBA students, and over one hundred and seventy (170) BSc research projects. Emmanuel has served in various capacities, including assessor, external examiner, and moderator, for the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC), five traditional universities, all 10 technical universities, and one research institution. He also worked as a placement coach (local supervisor) for the following international programmes: Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning at Saxion University of Applied Science, Netherlands, and International Project Management (IPM) at Hochschule Für Technik Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

Membership of Professional Bodies

Professor Adinyira is a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Construction (FGIOC), where he has, on different occasions served as the National Honorary Secretary and National Honorary Treasurer. He is a Fellow of the Occupational Safety and Health Association, UK (FOSHA-UK). He is a Member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (MGhIS), where he currently serves on the Research and Development Committee of the General Council, as well as on the Quantity Surveying Division (QSD) Library and Editorial Committee. He is also a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana (MIET GH), an Affiliate Member of Centre for Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (SaRIC), London South Bank University, UK, a Member of International Society for Development and Sustainability (MISDS), a Member of the Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM-Global) and a proud Member of Emerald Literati Network.

Awards

Emmanuel is a proud recipient of multiple international and national awards including; OSHA UK Safety Ambassador award, 2024 SEDRC Lifetime Achievement award as the Built Environment Researcher of the year, Chairs’ Certificate of Excellence in Health and Safety Management award and the Highly Commended paper in Sustainability and Practice award by Leeds Beckett University, IDoBE International Conference Best Paper award, Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Infrastructure Development in Africa, Overall Best Senior Member (Research and Publication) award at CABE- KNUST, Best Senior Member (Research and Publication) award at FoBE KNUST, Ghana-India National Essay award, Government of Ghana Scholarship award, Cocoa Board Scholarship award, A.M.E. Zion Church’s Lifetime Achievement award, KNUST Staff Development Scholarship award, GSTS 1997 Best Student in Additional Mathematics and Life Skills (General Knowledge) award and best BECE Graduate award.

Research Outputs and Publications

A bibliometric analysis of his publications provides evidence of his concentration not just on Ghana but also on other developing countries. He has collaborated with colleagues both within and outside Ghana. He has published 250+ works, including edited books, conference proceedings, distance learning course materials, book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, consultancy reports, and monographs. He is a regular contributor of articles on national issues on both traditional and social media outlets. 53% of his most cited papers in the last 10 years have been published in Q1-ranked journals. His publications have attracted over 6,390 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 31 and an i10-index of 73. He has over 832 citations on Scopus with an h-index of 17. He is currently ranked among the top 3% of 7,129 scientists in Ghana, based on citation, i-10, and h-indexes, according to the 2025 AD Scientific Index. Professor Adinyira is the Editor-in-Chief of the newly launched Journal of E-Learning Research and Practice, published by the E-Learning Centre at KNUST. He is also a Section Editor for the Journal of Science and Technology (JUST). He continues to serve as a guest editor, editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for several national and international newsletters, conferences, and journals, including Q1-ranked journals such as Safety Science, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Construction Innovation.

Grants, Collaborations and Consultancies

Professor Adinyira has led and collaborated on numerous research projects and programs, including the Linnaeus-Palme Planning program, sponsored by the Swedish Council for Higher Education, and the University of the West of England Research Visit Program. He is a two-time recipient of Brown University’s Brown International Advanced Research Institute (BIARI) grant, a three-time recipient of the College of Art and Built Environment KNUST Research grant, a three-time winner of the KNUST Research Fund (KReF) grant, and a recipient of the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF) award. As a construction professional, he has worked on several projects and researched various construction-related issues in Ghana and other West African countries, including Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. His services as a professional have been extended to churches, schools, and other civil society organisations within and outside Ghana.

Mentorship

He has a strong passion for mentoring, which has seen him unofficially mentor several young academics in Ghana and abroad. Officially, he serves as the mentor for two faculty members at KNUST, as well as the lead mentor appointed on the Ho Technical University’s Mentorship Programme.

Community Service, Engagement and Outreach

Emmanuel has a passion for community engagement, and is committed to research, education and development beyond the classroom. He was part of a team of researchers that produced an impact assessment report for the World Bank and the Asanteman Council’s Promoting Partnerships with Traditional Authorities Project (PPTAP) in 40 communities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Collaborating with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) of Ghana, he worked in four communities, namely: Bekwai in the Ashanti region, Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo region, Agbablakope and Dagbamate in the Volta region, to develop a ‘Rational Selection Procedure’ for selecting suitable private operators for sustainable water supply management in small towns and rural communities of Ghana. He is a co-founder of ABER-Foundation, a non-governmental, non-profit research foundation that seeks to advance the well-being of people in urban and peri-urban communities through research, advocacy, community engagement, and outreach. Emmanuel, a devout Christian, is a Zion Methodist and worships with the Bishop Small Cathedral of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Fante New Town, Kumasi. He is the President of Mid-Ghana Conference Men’s Fellowship of the Church, the Episcopal Director of projects and a member of the Cabinet of the Western West Africa Episcopal District of the Church. Three times he has been elected a delegate to the Church’s Quadrennial General Conference in the USA.

Family

Professor Adinyira is married to Mrs. Rebecca Ofosua Adinyira, a Public Health Officer with Global Evangelical Mission Hospital, Apromase, Ejisu. They are blessed with three lovely children, Jeremy, Jerome and Jennessa.