Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Hon. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije has called on government, the private sector to engage the services of local expert in the execution of infrastructure projects to boost the local economy.
According to him, the only way to bridge the infrastructure gap is to involve qualified Project Management Professionals and experts to assist in the conceptualization and implementation of the various infrastructure projects in the country.
“How do we tap in to opportunities that seek to transform the face of infrastructure in Africa by translating it into economic growth in Ghana? In this respect, there is an urgent need to engage qualified Project Management Professionals and experts to assist in the conceptualization and implementation of the various infrastructure projects in the country” he said.
“These professionals are competent in managing these infrastructure projects for sustainable development in Ghana. When local experts are engaged in the execution of infrastructure projects, they increase the efficiency of the project right from initiation to closure. Also, returns gained from job engagements are retained and reinvested to boost the local economy”.
The former Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), who was speaking at the 2018 Project Management Professionals Annual Conference Dubbed “Accelerating Ghana’s Economic Transformation Through Project Management in Accra noted that, engagement of local experts will minimize youth unemployment.
“When Local experts are engaged, youth unemployment will be greatly minimized, and there will be guaranteed full access to jobs and economic opportunities, to realize their full potential” he said.
Hon. Vanderpuije averred that in order to achieve the infrastructure transformative agenda of Ghana there is the need to engage a qualified Project Management Professionals and experts on all infrastructure development projects and effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation systems.
Read Hon. Okoe Vanderpuyie’s full statement below:
SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. ALFRED OKO VANDERPUIJE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR ABLEKUMA SOUTH CONSTITUENCY ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2018 PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS ANNUAL CONFERENCE DUBBED “ACCELERATING GHANA’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES’ AUDITORIUM, ACCRA ON SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER, 2018.
Mr. Chairman
Distinguish Invited Guest
Ladies and Gentlemen
Friends from the Media
All Protocols Observed
It is indeed a great honor and privilege to be here as the Guest Speaker to present on the topic: “The significance of engaging a mass of qualified Project Management Professionals and expert needed for efficient infrastructural transformation of the Ghanaian Economy, A key component of Agenda 2063, the Fifty Years Long Term Plan of African Union”.
Mr. Chairman, as you may be aware, Agenda 2063 is the AU’s endogenous plan for transformation. It harnesses the continent’s comparative advantages such as its people, history and cultures; its natural resources; its position and repositioning in the world to effect equitable and people-centred social, economic and technological transformation and the eradication of poverty.
It further seeks to fulfill our obligation to our children as an inter- generational compact, to develop Africa’s human capital; build social assets, infrastructure and public goods; empower women and youth; promote lasting peace and security; build effective developmental states and participatory and accountable institutions of governance.
It also emphasizes on the commitments from citizens, leadership, governments and institutions at national, regional and continental levels to act, coordinate, and cooperate for the realization of this vision.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the critical goals of the aspiration one (1) of the Agenda 2063 is to ensure that cities and other settlements are hubs of cultural and economic activities, with modernized infrastructure, and people have access to affordable and decent housing, including housing finance together with all the basic necessities of life such as, water, sanitation, energy, public transport and ICT. It is important to mention that Project Management Professionals will play a critical role in the actualization of this ambitious and significant goal of Agenda 2063.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is significant to note that in recent times the debate on infrastructural deficit in Ghana in particular and Africa in general keeps increasing as well as the integrity and sustainability of existing infrastructure. I am confident that Africa has the capability required to meet its infrastructure needs. Ghana should be a country where development is people-driven, unleashing the potential of its people to transform the local economy. This is motivated by an efficient infrastructure transformation based on self-reliance and self-determination of Project Management Professionals in the country.
We aspire that by 2063, Africa shall be a prosperous continent, with the means and resources to drive its own development and have a world class, integrative infrastructure that crisscrosses the continent. Since 1963, the quest for African Unity has been inspired by the spirit of Pan Africanism, focusing on liberation, political and economic independence.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Agenda 2063 envisage an infrastructure development that will be in place to support Africa’s accelerated integration and growth, technological transformation, trade and development. This will include high-speed railway networks, roads, shipping lines, sea and air transport, as well as well-developed ICT and digital economy.
Mr. Chairman, how do we tap in to these opportunities that seek to transform the face of infrastructure in Africa by translating it into economic growth in Ghana? In this respect, there is an urgent need to engage qualified Project Management Professionals and experts to assist in the conceptualization and implementation of the various infrastructure projects in the country. These professionals are competent in managing these infrastructure projects for sustainable development in Ghana. When local experts are engaged in the execution of infrastructure projects, they increase the efficiency of the project right from initiation to closure. Also, returns gained from job engagements are retained and reinvested to boost the local economy.
On this account, Note this, youth unemployment will be greatly minimized, and there will be guaranteed full access to jobs and economic opportunities, to realize their full potential. Project Management Professionals in Ghana should be the path breakers of transforming the economy of the country through the exhibition of professionalism in their duties. We therefore call upon the international communities to respect Africa’s vision and aspirations for herself and to align their partnerships appropriately. Hence, Ghana must provide an enabling environment for the Project Management Professionals to flourish and reach their full potentials.
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is worthy to mention that as a two-term Mayor of the City of Accra, I suppose that’s why I stand before you today that i superintended over many huge infrastructure projects, both public and private ones. These projects put together run into billions of Ghana Cedis. It created employment and changed the landscape and skyline of Accra. Notable among these projects are the Circle Interchange, road construction, Millennium Schools Buildings, the MTN Office Complex, Sixteen Storey Office Complex for Standard Chartered Bank at North Ridge, Thirteen Storey Office Complex for Ecobank at West Ridge, Seventeen Storey Octagon Multi Building Complex around Tema Station- which includes a new facility for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Movenpick Hotel, Terminal Three Airport Expansion, Sixteen Storey Mirage Residential Complex at Airport Residential and many high rise residential, commercial and office buildings in the city of Accra.
Mr. Chairman, it is informative to note that in all these projects, an integrated approach to project management was adopted by involving the requisite experts, especially, qualified Project Management Professionals to lead the process. As Mayor of the City then, it was a source of joy for me to make it my business to get involve in every stage of the projects development – from the project conceptualization stage to the implementation and implementation management phases.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as the Chairman of the Accra Spatial Planning Committee from 2009 to 2016, I always made sure that the Technical Sub-Committee critically scrutinized and diligently assess physical development applications submitted to the Physical Planning Department before given approvals and the subsequent issuance of Building Permits. During implementation phases, qualified project management professionals were engaged to supervise the construction of the projects to ensure quality and value for money.
This dynamic approach to project management contributed meaningfully for the successful implementation of the numerous projects executed during my tenure of office as the Mayor of Accra. The demand for Project Management Professionals is increasingly vital to every economy today as a result of organizations or countries embarking on complex projects with the view to ensuring sustainable development.
Mr. Chairman, there is a huge emphasis on infrastructure development as it is considered to be one of the key growth drivers of every economy. This has necessitated in the demand for a mass of project management professionals to pull their expertise together to aid in the infrastructural transformation in Ghana. It is gratifying to mention that the critical issues facing most infrastructure projects in Ghana, particularly government-sponsored projects, are time delays and cost overruns, which more often than not, cause losses to the nation, as a whole and does not protect the public purse.
Mr. Chairman, Project Management Professionals have a critical role to play in the delivery of sustainable development in the country as well as the attainment of Agenda 2063. There is therefore the need for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to strengthen their Project Management Departments/Units with the requisite Project Management Professionals to ensure value for money for all projects. It is of interest to know that this is where the need for a mass of Project management Professionals come in to the scene to bring together not just management expertise but technical expertise and skills needed to effectively plan, execute and monitor government infrastructure projects and establish maintenance culture – which demands so much of our attention in this country – Another area of employment creation.
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, let me state that in order to actualize the Agenda 2063 in Ghana, there would be the need for critical mass of qualified project management professionals and experts to spearhead the infrastructure transformative agenda of our economy. In addition, we need capable institutions and transformative leadership in place at all levels of governance. We also need to set up an effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation systems, underpinned by accountability and transparency, to ensure the attainment of the Agenda 2063 Aspirations. Finally, we need to continuously enrich the outlook and capacities of the various stakeholders and stakeholder groups with respect to the need to engage a qualified Project Management Professionals and experts on all infrastructure development projects.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, infrastructure development is a crosscutting activity and needs the coordination and collaboration of all stakeholders, particularly project management professionals.
It is my expectation that this conference will provide us with practical answers to infrastructural transformation issues and other sustainable development challenges facing Africa and our dear nation.
Mr. Chairman, I once again thank you for your attention. May the Almighty God be our guide throughout the deliberations.
Ghana, Our beloved country must succeed.
THANK YOU.
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