GhIE Launches Trailblazing Town Hall to Strengthen Trust, Dialogue, and Leadership

The Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) has ushered in a bold new chapter in its history, receiving widespread commendation after hosting its first-ever Town Hall Meeting a landmark engagement many participants hailed as transformational, long overdue, and powerfully unifying.

For the first time, engineers across civil, mechanical, electrical, environmental, mining, and emerging disciplines convened both in person and virtually for a candid, unfiltered conversation with the leadership of their Institution. This hybrid gathering marked a renewed and unmistakable commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and meaningful collaboration across the engineering community.

The Town Hall created a rare platform where members could openly question long-standing practices, share experiences from the field, and offer practical ideas to strengthen Ghana’s engineering ecosystem.

Discussions spanned critical areas such as professional recognition and practice regulation, professional integrity and ethical standards, continuous professional development and capacity building; infrastructure quality, safety standards, and public accountability; Innovation, sustainability, and climate resilience; membership welfare and career advancement, stronger collaboration with sister professional bodies

Engineers spoke passionately about the realities they face from unethical practice to limited recognition and inadequate welfare structures and called for reforms that mirror the vital role engineering plays in national development.

GhIE President, Ing. Ludwig Annang Hesse, described the engagement as a defining moment “Today, we have not only witnessed history; we have made it. Our Institution is only as strong as the participation of its members. This Town Hall reinforces our commitment to accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.”

He issued a firm call for ethical vigilance, particularly regarding the misuse of engineering stamps: “If you know of anyone abusing the engineer’s stamp, report it. When you remain silent, you break the very code of ethics we all swore to uphold.” His remarks received resounding support from participants.

The immediate Past President, Ing. Kwabena Bempong, commended the initiative as a bold shift in leadership accountability: “This Town Hall is an eye-opener. We depend on our members for everything we do but were we listening enough? Today proved that constructive engagement is possible. We must refine and build on this model.”

President-Elect, Ing. Sophia Abena Tijani, emphasized the value of the insights gathered“We heard from our Council and from our members. Many concerns were addressed today, and the rest will be answered and published on our website. Members should be assured we have heard them clearly, especially on issues of conditions of service.”

She further challenged practitioners to raise the bar of excellence: “As we work to improve the welfare of engineers, we also expect the highest professionalism in return. The difference between a licensed and an unlicensed engineer must be clear in the quality of work delivered.”

The Town Hall Meeting forms part of GhIE’s broader strategy to strengthen professional standards, deepen transparency and member engagement, position engineers as central actors in national development, build stronger bridges between industry, academia, and government.