By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), Dec. 6, GNA – Mr Michael Buabin, Regional Engineer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Tema, has emphasised that the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) conference theme: “Sustainably Engineering Our Future: Do It Well, Do It Right”, is not just a slogan, but a guiding principle for contemporary engineering practice.
Speaking at the conference, he highlighted the unprecedented challenges facing the world, including resource depletion, climate change, and rapid urbanisation.
“How we engineer today will determine the quality of life tomorrow,” he stressed, noting that engineering solutions were central to addressing these global realities.
Mr Buabin stressed that engineering must be guided by excellence, ethics, and sustainability.
He urged engineers to adopt ethical leadership grounded in integrity, transparency, fairness, empathy, and social responsibility.
“Doing it right means considering long-term impacts, not just short-term gains,” he added.
Highlighting global trends, he noted that infrastructure contributed over 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and that nearly 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.
He called for energy-efficient designs, renewable energy adoption, circular-economy principles, and smart technologies that optimise resources.
“Here in the Volta Region, our infrastructure projects must reflect environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Imagine if every bridge, building, and power system we design becomes a model for green engineering in Ghana,” he said.
He urged engineers to follow the principle: if a project cannot be done sustainably, it should not be done at all. “We must engineer not just systems, but legacies. Let history remember us as visionaries who built a future that is sustainable, ethical, and innovative.”
Mr Ludwig Annang Hesse (F-GhIE), National President of GhIE, stressed the importance of governance reforms, institutional development, and active membership structures in strengthening the Institution.
He called for engineers to be involved in policy-making from the outset, rather than being consulted only after decisions are made.
Prof Charles Atombo (SPE-GhIE), Chairman of the GhIE Volta and Oti Branch (Branch 6), reaffirmed the Institution’s commitment to ethical practice, professional regulation, and advancing engineering as a driver of national development.
He highlighted the urgent need for sustainable solutions to challenges such as illegal mining (galamsey), and called for closer collaboration between engineers, policymakers, and national leaders to ensure value for money, public safety, and environmental protection.
Prof Atombo also underscored GhIE’s dedication to capacity building, youth and women inclusion, and promoting integrity and excellence across the profession.
GNA
Edited By: Maxwell Awumah/Christian Akorlie