To make the Engineering Centre disability friendly and suitable for older engineering practitioners who struggle to access the conference room on the first floor of the Centre at Roman Ridge in Accra, the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), has on Wednesday, 1st October, 2025, installed an elevator at the Engineering Centre.
Giving the background for the need to install the elevator, the immediate past President of the Institution Ing Kwabena Bempong, said, in 2023 he conceived the idea of an elevator to help transport some of their older colleagues who attended programs in the conference room of the institution. His inspiration and motivation at the time was that, he witnessed how some dedicated older engineering practitioners struggled to access the conference room on the first floor and had to be literally carried to attend such functions.
He mentioned the case of the 8th President of the Institution who served from 1976-77, Nana Ing M. Asafo Boakye who in the twilight of his years always attended GhIE Programs with much difficulty.
In pursuant to this, in April 2024, Ing Bempong approached ARG1 Africa, a leading supplier and installer of elevators in the country to help him provide an elevator for the institution. They responded by offering to provide an 8-passenger lift at cost, without any overheads or profit.
He then later on made an appeal to members of the institution as well as partners during the first GhIE Partner Soiree organized in November 2024 to help him realize this great vision. The Disability Act 2006 also gave a moratorium of ten years for all public buildings to be accessible by persons living with Disability.
Past President of the institution, Ing Dr. Kwame Boakye, responded to this call and offered to pay for the entire cost of the elevator. Messrs. Mawums Construction Ltd. and Memphis Metropolitan Ltd., leading contractors in Ghana also sponsored the construction of the structural and electrical works. Messrs. Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd. were also approached and decided to contribute by undertaking the physical construction of the structure at 50% of the actual cost of works.
Inaugurating the Lift on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the President of GhIE, Ing Ludwig Annang Hesse, expressed his appreciation to his predecessor, IPP Ing Bempong for his foresight and Moreso, all who contributed in making this vision a reality. He singled out Ing Dr. Kwame Boakye for his timely and significant support for such a worthy cause.
He opined that there are engineering professionals who are unable to attend GhIE programs because they find it difficult to access the Conference Room, which is on the first floor of the Engineering Centre. Other physically challenged persons also find it difficult to use the stairs to the conference room.
Ing Ludwig stated that Persons with Disability Act, 2006, Act 715, enjoins owners or occupier of a place of which the public has access, to provide appropriate facilities that make the facility accessible and available for use by persons with disability. A special mention was made of the Technical Team of ARG, the installers of the Lift, for their wonderful job done.
Ing. Dr. Kwame Boakye, who jointly cut the tape to open the elevator, said, he observed with concern the inability of some of the engineering practitioners and the general public to use the staircase to the conference room. Therefore, when the opportunity came for him to purchase this Lift, he did it whole-heartedly.
Present at the inauguration ceremony were the President-elect of GhIE, Ing Sophia Tijani, Vice-President of GhIE, Ing Dr. Patrick A. Bekoe, the new Executive Director of GhIE, Ing Dr. Mrs. Enyonam Kpekpena, the Outgoing Ag. Executive Director of GhIE, Ing Samuel Magnus Asiedu, Ing Asare Yeboah, a Past President, Ing Carlien Bou-Chedid, a Past President, former Executive Director of GhIE, Ing David Kwatia Nyante and employees of GhIE.
Ing Ludwig and the Technical Team, ARG, demonstrated the operation of the elevator to the staff and invited guests.
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