The Minister for Works and Housing (MWH), Francis Asenso-Boakye, has urged the general public to engage only the services of registered architects and firms for building projects.

According to him, this would ensure that communities were developed in a sustainable manner.

The Minister was speaking at an induction ceremony held by the Architects Registration Council (ARC) to accept 33 new architects onto the standing Register of the Council after undertaking the Professional Practice Examination (PPE).

It was the 21^st Induction Ceremony held on Tuesday, at the Ghana Shippers’ House, Ridge, Accra under the theme: ‘The Duty, Command and Commitment to Commemorate Architecture each day of our lives’.

The induction ceremony bridges the academic and professional life of every architect. It climaxes six years of academic qualification at the university, a minimum of two years of post-qualification coaching and internship under a qualified senior architect, structured seminars and tutorials and finally professional examination, with a minimum pass mark of 60 per cent to gain state license to practise in Ghana.

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye urged the young professionals to utilise their expertise to produce innovative concepts and designs that would address national and global urbanisation challenges.

 “As a Ministry, we will create the enabling environment to ensure buildings are executed to standards that serve the needs of society,” he assured.

Welcoming the guests, the Chairman of the 3rd Governing Board of the ARC, Arc. Richard Nii Dadey underscored the importance of the induction ceremony which is the admission of qualified architects into the membership of the Ghana Institute of Architects and then the admittance into the body of professional architects by the ARC per the Architects’ Act of 1969 (NLCD 357) to practise in Ghana.

He said the ceremony marked the beginning of an exciting journey that come with unique challenges as such the inductees should be innovative to be able to address current and future challenges.

In a solidarity message, the President of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), Arc. Samuel M. Quartey congratulated the inductees and reminded them that the ceremony was not the climax but rather the start of a real professional journey.

“You have joined this fraternity at a time when the Ghanaian Architect is on a visibility mission, and earnestly trying to show to the public that we are comparable to our international colleagues. “Please come and take up positions to move this agenda forward,”he said.

Arc. Josephine Essie M. Kpesese, the Principal Assistant Registrar (PAR), the Acting Registrar of the ARC who administered the ARC’s Architect’s oath to the newly admitted Architects reiterated that the ARC established through the Architects’ Act 1969, NLCD 357, concerns itself with state interventions on architecture through education, training and practice.

The chairperson for the occasion, Arc. Mrs Sylvia Linda Aku Larbi, emphasised that “in every area ofour lives, architecture is included and although we find ourselves in uncertain times there is hope that in the face of projects, the architect can be a tool for change, stressing that homes are no longer a place of just an abode but the demand of time as such it is incumbent on architects to use their expertise to take risk factors and produce environmentally friendly designs.”