DEPUTY MINISTER OPENS EXHIBITION
The Honourable Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Eugene Boatwi Antwi, has opened the 16th International Building Construction and Property Exhibition in Accra, organized by Image Consortium in collaboration with the Ministry of Works and Housing.
The exhibition, dubbed “Smart, Secured Construction”, is aimed at providing solutions, public education and massive creation of business and networking opportunities particularly with the use of technology and infusing it into construction in Ghana and beyond.
Speaking at the function, the Hon. Deputy Minister said the Ministry has for the past 15 years supported Image Consortium in their quest to provide such a platform and therefore there is the need to tailor policies, programs and initiatives to accelerate resultant needs and challenges in the Building and Construction Industry.
He said the Ministry is working assiduously to reduce the estimated 1.7 million housing deficit to the barest minimum and urged various organized professional bodies in the building and construction industry to collaborate with the government and help solve the housing deficit since it is a collective responsibility of Government and the Private Sector.
“My ministry is committed to the constant improvement of operations as well as providing constant support to all stakeholders in the building and construction industry in pursuit of the implementation of Housing Policies and the subsequent fulfilment of Ghana`s Housing Objectives through the provision of well-planned affordable and quality housing”, he added.
Hon. Boakye Antwi stressed on the need for regulatory bodies to control the activities of practitioners in the industry, since every stage of the construction process has a direct and indirect impact on the environment.
The Chief Executive Officer of Image Consortium, Mrs. Marilyn Maame Efua Huadjeto, urged the participants and various companies in the industry to take advantage of the initiative and build collaboration in order to grow their business.
Mrs. Huadjeto hinted, that Image Consortium has entered into a new partnership with ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA for the promotion of Austrian companies in the building and construction industry.
On his part, the President of the Ghana Institute of Architects and Chairperson of the occasion, Arch. Richard Dartey said the theme for the exhibition coincided with smart buildings that are creeping nowadays and urged property owners and managers to acquire high smart technologies capable of anticipating weather conditions and adapting building climate.