News
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
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
