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World Facility Management Day: IFMA-Ghana touts achievement
Mr Sampsong Opare-Agyemang addressing the press
The President of the Ghana Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA-Ghana), Mr. Sampson Opare-Agyemang, has expressed satisfaction at the progress made by the association since its inception but says there is work to be done as practitioners prepare to mark this year’s World Facility Management (FM) Day.
Speaking at the launch of the event in Accra last Friday, he said the association has over the years equipped experts with the essentials of facility management and continued to encourage educational institutions to roll out programmes in facility management.
The overall objective of the training, advocacy and other initiatives of the association, according to him, was to ensure that there were enough professionals to safeguard the longevity of private and public facilities in the country.
He said the association had trained and certified about 99 facility managers across the country and continued to engage the government and institutions on the essence of facility management and the services practitioners render property owners.
IFMA-Ghana marks this year’s World Facility Management Day on May 10, 2023 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi) on the theme: “Facility Management Making a Real Difference in Ghana.” Speakers from academia, government and other stakeholders are expected to make presentations, interact and share experiences relevant to the industry.
The occasion, Mr Opare-Agyemang said, was to celebrate the achievement of the facility management community and the impact the profession continues to make across sectors.
“World FM day is a day of recognition for facility managers and the entire profession. It is a time to celebrate the heroes behind the scenes of the built environment and share well-deserved thanks for keeping our facilities healthy, safe and productive.”
“The challenge today in our built environment is not just bad maintenance culture but lack of trained manpower and the lack of understanding of the value of facility management by government, business owners and financial institutions,” he said.
Mr Opare-Agyemang, therefore, stressed the need to incorporate routine maintenance culture to ensure sustainability of private and public properties.
IFMA Ghana is part of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Founded in 1980, IFMA is the most widely recognized International Association for facility management professionals, supporting 24,000 members in 104 countries.
IFMA Offers professional advancement through credentialing programs and provides a wide range of educational courses, from entry-level programs to those for highly experienced facility managers.
The Ghana Chapter, approved in August 2009, currently has over 300 members working at various institutions.
By Ernest Nutsugah
News
GES directs Ashanti Regional, Obuasi Municipal Education Directors to step aside over Obuasi SHTS scandal
The Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr. William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, to step aside with immediate effect.
The directive forms part of ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Mr. Zakaria Abdulai.
According to GES, the decision is intended to ensure that the investigations proceed without potential interference, nor the perception of it.
The two directors are to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. Thomas Kwame Boateng.
Management added that the headmaster, Mr. Zakaria Abdulai, also remains interdicted and therefore urged the public to ignore any news circulating that he has been cleared.
Management is calling for calm, support and cooperation as thorough investigations into the matter continue.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has joined the family of the late Professor Jason Atta Kwei Arday, the Ghanaian community in the UK, and other dignitaries for a memorial service in Southwark, UK.
In a post, Mr. Ablakwa described the service as deeply moving and unforgettable, held in honour of the late professor’s memory.
According to him, in keeping with the government’s pledge, he joined the family, Ghana’s High Commissioner to London, British MPs, Ministers, the Mayor of London, Cambridge scholars, Prof. Arday’s students and loved ones to pay respects and honour his inspiring legacy.
Mr. Ablakwa noted that Prof. Arday’s accomplishments as the youngest Black professor appointed at the University of Cambridge and his widely appreciated charitable contributions will continue to inspire generations.
“The Government and People of Ghana will continue to stand by our compatriots everywhere they are in the world. As we do so, we profess our commitment to justice, equality and the creation of a new world,” he said.
He prayed for fortitude for the family in what he described as an extraordinarily difficult time.
“We shall always remember Prof. Arday for his response when asked what he will wish to do to change the world: ‘I would take a thread and a needle, and I’d interweave love into our society’,” Mr. Ablakwa added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
