The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to begin intensive public education on the entire processes of building and its associated requirements to reduce the incidences of building collapses.
The Chamber blamed the MMDCEs for their failure to live up to their responsibility in ensuring the structural integrity of buildings, which has led to some building collapses reported last month.
Speaking to the media at a broad stakeholder conference on the recent collapse of buildings and matters arising, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber, Emmanuel Cherry, highlighted a knowledge gap between MMDCEs and land developers.
He underscored the need for building owners to comply with the law when putting up structures.
“People think that when they get a piece of land, they can do anything. They gather masons, carpenters, steel benders, and start to do something. It doesn’t work that way. The laws must be followed, and even before you dig your trench or foundation, the Assembly has to be there to supervise to ensure that the right thing is done, because even the soil on which the building will be built must be tested.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman for the Ghana Building Regulations, Ing. Seth Attipoe-Denyah, called on law enforcement agencies to begin cracking down on land developers and MMDCEs who fail to comply with the requirements for obtaining the necessary documentation before building.
“Enforcing regulations concerning buildings is important, and so in order to ensure the safety of buildings, you have to educate the people on the value of doing so. Some people always think it is costly to go for a building permit, and others think it is a waste of time. So, people who fail to secure the right documentation must be prosecuted to deter others from breaking the law.”
