Ghana hosts workshop on standardising building and construction

Accra, May 22, GNA - Ghana is hosting a regional workshop on harmonising construction and building standards in West Africa to help build the competencies of experts in ensuring quality in the building and construction industry.

The three-day workshop, which began on Monday, is being organised by ECOWAS and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and brought together experts from standards boards, the private sector in the building and contruction enterprises, academia and research institutions within the 15 ECOWAS countries.

Mr Kwasi Owusu Boadu, the Director of Standard Division at the GSA, said participants would discuss building specification, regulations and protocols and ensure that materials used were not below standard.

'We need to harmonise building standards in the ECOWAS region to ensure uniformity in building materials like iron rods, roofing sheets, and even rocks and laterals used in building and construction.

'The mixing of concrete for similar buildings within the ECOWAS countries should be the same to ensure lasting and quality projects,' Mr Boadu said.

Mr Mensan Lawson Hechelli, the Director of Industry at the ECOWAS Commission, said the workshop was meant to equip the people with the necessary tools to enable them to make meaningful impact on the standardisation in building and construction projects within the region.

He said prior to the workshop, standards officers within the region lacked the expertise on how to incorporate their ideas and views into international standards adding that the workshop would equip them to do so both at the African Regional Standards and at the Technical Committee level.

He said expectations were that the participants would make more meaningful contributions towards establishment of implementable standards at International Standards Organisation in subsequent fora. GNA

By Lydia Asamoah, GNA