Construction industry lobbies for monitoring authority
Elizabeth Joseph
WINDHOEK
The Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) has warned that the sector continues to see membership numbers decline.CIF general manager Bärbel Kirchner said this during a press conference last week alongside the Institute of Namibian Quantity Surveyors (INQS) and the Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors (AAQS).
During the conference, Kirchner revealed that the number of local contractors had dropped by 50%, despite projections that the sector would grow.
Kirchner said the industry suffered immense losses over the last few years, but she is hopeful that there will be a turn-around this year.
“It is very important that we continue focusing on our local contractors, who need to be far more involved in the industry. There is a large extent of foreign contractors on some major projects, not just civil but building projects, which is unacceptable,” she said. Kirchner said the industry is also in desperate need of a monitoring council, for which the federation has lobbied for since 2006.
“It is vital that we get a construction council for the sector, a statutory body that will police and monitor the industry. We know that it has been tabled with the cabinet committee on legislation last year, and thus we are hopeful that it will be tabled with parliament this year,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the conference, AAQS president Obafemi Onashile listed a number of projects in Namibia that needed to outsource contractors based on expertise.
“Africa lags in global trade developments. We can’t force ourselves to lag because certain countries are not skilled. These are the trades all over the world; let’s get ourselves prepared to take on projects of great magnitude.
“Namibia has struck oil. It has to familiarise itself with the practices involved in oil production,” he said.
Train and upskill
Former AAQS president, Olusegun Ajanlek, urged the Namibian government to insist on the training of local contractors in instances where foreign contracts are involved.
“It is the responsibility of the government to demand that international contractors use local professionals as part and parcel of the package coming into the country.
“There should be a clause that allows for employment for the locals. You can’t force them to use you because they might be providing funding, but you can insist on the training of locals,” Ajanlek said.
WINDHOEK
The Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) has warned that the sector continues to see membership numbers decline.CIF general manager Bärbel Kirchner said this during a press conference last week alongside the Institute of Namibian Quantity Surveyors (INQS) and the Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors (AAQS).
During the conference, Kirchner revealed that the number of local contractors had dropped by 50%, despite projections that the sector would grow.
Kirchner said the industry suffered immense losses over the last few years, but she is hopeful that there will be a turn-around this year.
“It is very important that we continue focusing on our local contractors, who need to be far more involved in the industry. There is a large extent of foreign contractors on some major projects, not just civil but building projects, which is unacceptable,” she said. Kirchner said the industry is also in desperate need of a monitoring council, for which the federation has lobbied for since 2006.
“It is vital that we get a construction council for the sector, a statutory body that will police and monitor the industry. We know that it has been tabled with the cabinet committee on legislation last year, and thus we are hopeful that it will be tabled with parliament this year,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the conference, AAQS president Obafemi Onashile listed a number of projects in Namibia that needed to outsource contractors based on expertise.
“Africa lags in global trade developments. We can’t force ourselves to lag because certain countries are not skilled. These are the trades all over the world; let’s get ourselves prepared to take on projects of great magnitude.
“Namibia has struck oil. It has to familiarise itself with the practices involved in oil production,” he said.
Train and upskill
Former AAQS president, Olusegun Ajanlek, urged the Namibian government to insist on the training of local contractors in instances where foreign contracts are involved.
“It is the responsibility of the government to demand that international contractors use local professionals as part and parcel of the package coming into the country.
“There should be a clause that allows for employment for the locals. You can’t force them to use you because they might be providing funding, but you can insist on the training of locals,” Ajanlek said.
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