IET President urges engineers to drive Ghana’s infrastructure transformation

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Ghana, recently inducted over 130 new engineers, calling for innovation, integrity, and creativity in addressing the nation's development challenges. The induction ceremony, held under the theme "Engineering Ghana's Future: Innovation, Integrity and Sustainable Development," featured President of the IET, Engr. Davor Wonder, who emphasized the new engineers' responsibilities in improving lives through their skills.

Wonders urged the new engineers to move beyond conventional approaches and develop innovative solutions to Ghana's long-standing infrastructure issues. He proposed planning for an underground urban rail system to tackle congestion in major cities, suggesting it could ease traffic, improve mobility, reduce emissions, and limit the need for continuous road expansion in densely populated areas.

However, he acknowledged the significant investment and long-term planning required for such a project, including innovative financing, transparent procurement, strong engineering standards, effective safety systems, and sustained political commitment.

Engr. Wonder also emphasized the importance of integrity in the engineers' professional lives, warning that poor decisions, shortcuts, and corruption could endanger lives and hinder the country's development. He urged the engineers to protect the public interest, reject unsafe practices, and maintain professional standards even under challenging circumstances.

In addition to innovation and integrity, Wonders emphasized the need for sustainable development, encouraging the engineers to design environmentally friendly, economically viable, and climate-resilient infrastructure. He called on the engineers to challenge the status quo, ask how things could be done better, smarter, safer, and more sustainably, and use their skills to modernize Ghana's cities, improve infrastructure, promote local manufacturing, and develop technologies that address the nation's needs.