Form board or face legal action - Institute of Architects gives gov't ultimatum

The Council of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) has served notice to government to constitute a Board for the institute by the end of July or face legal action.

According to the GIA, the Architects Registration Council (ARC) has not seen the lawful constitution of a Board since January 2017.

All efforts made by the GIA Council for the past one-and-half years have proved futile.

The GIA noted that “on 9th Mach 2017, when the Honorable Minister wrote to the GIA requesting that the GIA submit names of the nominees, we promptly responded on the 10th March 2017… fifteen months and counting and we still do not have a Board”.

The GIA said the term of office of the Governing Board of the ARC has not operated for the past few years and the Government of Ghana, which is enjoined by the constitution to swear in a new Board, has not seen it relevant enough to institute a new Board, adding that decisions that would have required the Board’s objective deliberations and approval is being run by the Registrar and a couple of Deputies at the Regional Council.

“Our institution is one, which is mandated by our constitution to concern itself with all matters relating to the activities of the architecture in this country, deriving this authority from the Architects Act, NLCD 357 of 1969,” a press statement signed by Augustus Richardson, Secretary of the Council, stated.

GIA further noted in the statement that appeals and letters from the Institute have yielded no positive results.

“The GIA has gone into talks with the President on November 2018 about the negative impact of the absence of the ARC Board and further written to the sector Minister, the Ministry of Works and Housing and met with the Honorable Minister to discuss this inconsistency”.

“A clear example of this disregard for the Institute and the need for the Board of the ARC is the recent announcement of the Constitution of the New Chamber of Parliament which has caused a public outcry,” the GIA said.

On the presentation of the 3 entities to compete, which was sent from the Architects Registration Council Registrar to the Institute, we realized a gross infraction,” GIA noted.

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