An induction ceremony has been held by the Architects Registration Council (ARC) to accept 43 new Architects onto the standing Register of the council after undertaking the Council’s Professional Practice Examination (PPE).

An important national assignment of the ARC, 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 apprenticeship under a qualified senior architect as well as structured seminars and tutorials culminating in a professional examination.

Best candidate

Ninety-four candidates registered for this year’s PPE, out of which forty-three passed. Mr Maxwell O. Affram was adjudged the Overall Best Candidate.

At the 16th induction ceremony held last Thursday in Accra on the theme: “The architect, a vital partner in development,” the council described the event as reinforcing its commitment to its statutory mandate of promoting the highest practicable standards in architecture and protection of the general public from quacks.

Registrar of the ARC, Mrs Stella N.D. Arthiabah, who made these remarks, said the ceremony rekindled the pride of the nation’s ability to provide for its people, the human capital required for providing professional architectural services and to give the public assurances that architects were well equipped and approved to work.

Mrs Arthiabah said as promoters of the profession, the ARC was constantly adopting measures that would make the Ghanaian Architect competitive in current trends.

“One of such measures is the reviewed professional practice training syllabus, registration process and development of the practical training guide into a handbook to be easily carried about as companion to probationers and principals throughout the practical training period” she said.

Mrs Arthiabah cautioned persons practicing with expired licences to contact the ARC Secretariat to regularise their membership.“The soverning board has approved an amnesty by waiving all areas up to 2010 for Architects and firms practicing with expired licences, and requiring them to make good their standing with the Council by December 31, 2016. After this grace period, Section 21(5) of the Act which proffers a 20 penalty unit charge for every day of the breach will apply in full force,” she warned.

The Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, Hon. Sampson Ahi, who represented the Sector Minister as special guest, said the government had developed and reviewed a number of policies, regulations and bills to support built environment professionals to practice effectively.

Notable among them, he mentioned, is a National Housing Policy to provide adequate, safe, secure, decent and affordable housing; a bill for the establishment of Real Estate Authority to regulate real estate agency practice; a draft Condominium Bill in view of increased development of high-rise buildings and its implications for shared ownership of common areas.

Failed applicants

The President of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), Arc. Joseph E. Hayford, bemoaned the high rate of failed applicants and noted that the council of the GIA had taken the responsibility of deliberating on reasons for the dismal record and taken steps to improve performance.

“We have charted a path for this task through institution-building, re-calibration and refocusing of work-streams and the resourcing of our administration and activities and we believe the results of our efforts will be measurable so the next induction will see improved pass rate.”

This year’s ceremony was attended by key stakeholders of the built environment industry. Guest Speaker was Mrs Edith Dankwa, Chief Executive Officer of Business & Financial Times newspaper. Also present was the Chairman of the ARC, Arc. H.D.L Yartey and a former board chairman of the ARC, Arc. Alhaji Alhassan Dawuni.