African engineers face redundancy threat

By John Njiraini

Quacks in the engineering sector have been put on notice after the Government said it would review the Engineers Act to streamline the profession.

Plans are also underway to enact the National Construction Bill to regulate the construction industry, which was thrown in the limelight after the collapse of two buildings in Kiambu.

Roads Minister, Franklin Bett, said the Bill and the Act are critical in salvaging the face of a profession that has lost credibility among Kenyans due to endemic corruption, lack of ethics, and shoddy works that have resulted in loss of lives.

"It is important we enact laws that will help engineers effectively play their role, and address the malpractices associated with the profession," said Bett during a conference of engineers from Africa held recently in Mombasa.

And with the ills associated with engineering, including collapsing buildings, never-ending road construction projects, weak dams and bridges, badly planned cities and towns that lead congestion, engineers in Africa are a threatened lot.

The recent influx of Chinese contractors, who have snapped major projects, has left local engineers worried that unless something is done fast, they could be locked out of the money minting infrastructure development projects in Africa.

world bank study

According to a World Bank study, dubbed ‘Africa’s Infrastructure; A Time for Transformation’, a staggering Sh7.16 trillion ($93 billion) is required annually to address the continent’s infrastructural deficiencies, in areas like roads and railways, ports, ICT’s, energy, water and sanitation among other. Currently, it is estimated that some Sh1.77 trillion ($23 billion) is pumped annually to infrastructure development.

When they met to take stock of their achievements and challenges under the auspices of Group of African Member Associations (GAMA) of International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), African consulting engineers, contractors and facility managers were categorically informed that they are living in borrowed times unless they embrace change.

"You must embrace change and innovation to remain relevant. You must change from nation builders to drivers of economic development," Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was the chief guest, said.

By clinging to a past that has long been overtaken by technological advancement, African engineers have been left out of major infrastructure projects in the continent.

"Many African engineers are struggling because over 90 per cent of projects in the continent are being given to foreigners," said Gama chairlady, Mayen Adetiba, during the conference organised under the theme of ‘Engineer as a Strategic Partner’.

Gama is the umbrella body of African consulting engineers, and is a member of FIDIC.

According to Adetiba, lack of patronage among African Governments, and key financers, particularly the African Development Bank (AfDB), is the main reason why African engineers have been relegated to the periphery in huge projects.

But the real reason for their exclusion is the perceived lack of confidence in their abilities. Most believe they cannot undertake quality works within the stipulated timeframe, and within budget.

Corrupt contractors

"We have major problems in contract execution by African firms, something that has resulted in many abandoned projects," said Frank Mvuka of AfDB, a key financer of infrastructure projects in the continent.

The engineers inflate costs of projects, delay the projects, demand payments for non-existent projects, and undertake shoddy works that collapse as soon as they are finished.

This, coupled with the fact that most African contractors are corrupt, has forced major financers of infrastructure projects, to bring in expatriates for key projects.

FIDIC President, Gregs Thomopulos called on African firms to demonstrate their capability to carry out quality jobs by embracing ethical practices, or risk being locked out of the huge projects forever. He urged them to stop the habit of under-bidding to win contracts even when it’s unrealistic, saying the habit erodes their credibility.

Besides, African firms must build capacity and expand, to incorporate expertise to be able to handle huge and complex projects like construction of hydro-electric dams, instead of clinging to small entities that lack expertise.

"There are no large consulting companies in Africa. There is need to expand the size of the firms because you cannot do big jobs without capacity," said Thomopulos.

—jnjiraini@standardmedia.co.ke