Regulate your members in housing sector - Minister to regulatory bodies

Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Ms Barbara Asher Ayisi, has asked regulatory bodies in the housing sector of the Ghanaian economy to ensure that practitioners conform to laid-down rules and regulations.

She said construction has both direct and indirect impact on the environment hence, the need to stick to best practices in order to safeguard the environment.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 17th International Building, Construction, and Property Exhibition at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday 3rd October, 2019, she said: “Ghana’s housing deficit is estimated at about 2million and my ministry is working assiduously to reduce this gap to the barest minimum.

“This we know is the collective responsibility of Government and the Private Sector.”

She added: “We therefore need the collaboration of various organized professional bodies in the building and construction industry to help fight this menace.

“I will like to use this opportunity to reiterate the significance of all stakeholders in the building industry as well as exhibitors in playing their respective roles in the delivery of construction projects in a way that would sustain our environment and ensure the sustainable utilization of oval building materials.”

She added : “I will like to stress 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 materials chosen, the way products are transported, how projects are constructed and used and how waste is managed.

“To comply with the various regulatory requirements, those working in the industry need to ensure that they make the right decisions for the long term. They should look carefully at both the tangible aspects and the intangible aspects.