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IFMA-Ghana calls for professionalism in public facility management
Members of the Ghana Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) have asked government to enforce legislations regarding the design and use of environmentally friendly materials in the construction of public buildings.
It wants government to adopt Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to ensure long term maintenance and sustainability of public facilities.
Ahead of the celebration of World Facility Management Day on May 11, 2022, the association emphasised the need for professionalism in the management of public spaces.
World Facility Management Day is to celebrate the successes of professional facility managers and help address challenges that persist in the sector.
Mr. Sampson Opare-Agyemang, President of the Ghana Chapter of IFMA, speaking at the launch of the celebrations on Wednesday, said outsourcing facility management to professional organisations “is the best practice.”
Facility Management, he explained, involved “building management from the design stage to enhance its overall life cycle,” hence the need for the government to establish a facility management department or agency for proper “infrastructure management and regulation” in the country.”
“Facility management influences the health, safety, productivity and well-being of people who “utilise the built environment.
“The challenge today in our built environment is not just lack of maintenance culture rather lack of understanding of the value of facility management by governments, business owners and financial institutions,” he noted.
Mr. Opare-Agyemang said the Ghana Chapter of IFMA would focus on “the earth, health and well-being in a post-COVID hybrid working environment” in the country as it joined the worldwide celebrations in a few weeks.
Activities for the celebrations in Ghana are Round table discussions on the strategic role of facility management as well as a tour of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company (BOST) among others.
The International Facility Management Association, founded in 1980, is the recognised association of facility management professionals which has about 24,000 members in over 106 countries.
The Ghana Chapter of IFMA was approved in August 2009 and currently has over 200 professional members. The Association recently entered a partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to introduce a Master of Science (MSc) programme in Facility Management.
Mr. Opare-Agyemang said the association intended to partner other institutions to help train more facility managers.
By Ernest Nutsugah
The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Abena Osei Asare has expressed concerns about the failure of the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Mr. Paul Adjei to honour invitation of the Committee to assist in dealing with abandoned projects cited in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report.
She emphasised that some of the projects have been abandoned for more than 20 years and it kept reoccurring in the Auditor-General’s report yearly, stressing that the GETFund Administrator could assist by prioritising these projects.
However, he has failed to personally appear before the Committee since the commencement of the Committee’s public hearing in the 9th Parliament.
According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report on Pre-University Educational Institutions, nine (9) Institutions with 16 projects awarded by the GET Fund Secretariat had been abandoned/delayed for a period ranging between three (3) and 28 years.
Some of the affected schools include Adanwomoase Senior High School (Boys and Girls dormitory abandoned for 12 years), Atoa Senior High School (Home Economics Block abandoned for 27 years), Beposo Senior High School (Dinning Hall and Kitchen Complex abandoned for 10 years and lastly KNUST Senior High School (Three storey classroom block abandoned for 20 years).
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy continued its oversight responsibilities with a working visit to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) yesterday.
Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the visit formed part of efforts to familiarize members with the Authority’s operations and to explore ways Parliament could provide the necessary support.
He explained that the NPA’s work is focused on regulating Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector, a critical area for national energy security.
Mr. Bedzrah noted that the Committee is particularly interested in assessing whether the country has adequate petroleum stock to meet demand.
He noted that rising geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing US–Iran conflict, could have adverse effect on Ghana’s energy supply and pricing.
He further disclosed that the Committee intends to engage closely with the Authority on a proposed new petroleum bill.
According to him, a draft of the legislation will be reviewed and possibly presented to Parliament under a certificate of urgency.
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