Artisans in Ghana to be registered
Government is planning a massive registration of all artisans in the country to ensure proper documentation and rid the sector of quacks.
Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, announced this at the launching of the first ever Construction Artisans Festival in Accra on Friday.
The two-day festival on the theme: The Ghanaian Artisan and Modern Construction Industry”, would include seminars on modern ways of handling building materials, tools and equipment.
It was attended by artisans from the Greater Accra Region.
They would also discuss insurance for artisans, safety requirements of the profession, come out with innovative designs that would be competitive, and educate artisans on their rights and responsibilities.
He said government would develop Code of Ethics for those in the construction industry to serve as their principal guide.
Dr Ahmed said government’s overall policy in the housing sector, was to support and facilitate the private sector to increase its output of housing delivery.
“It is for this reason that government and the private sector have teamed up to provide and encourage technical training and short courses for artisans”, he said.
He commended the management of Danabten Group, organisers of the programme for bringing all artisans under one umbrella to help upgrade their skills to be competitive in the modern construction industry.
Danabten Group is made up of companies involved in the building construction, cleaning services, marketing and transport sectors.
Mr Douglas Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of Danabten, bemoaned the deplorable conditions under which some artisans worked and their inability
to earn much from the work they do.
“It is sad to note that salaries of artisans are nothing to write home about. They also do not get adequate compensation when an accident occurs on site and sometimes poor medical treatment as well”, he added.
Mr Suleman Thompson, a Spokesman of the artisans, congratulated Danabten for the initiative and urged all artisans in Accra to join.
Artisans in the construction industry include masons, welders, steel benders, plumbers, painters, electricians, tillers and aluminium profile workers.
Source: GNA