Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has stated that the engineering industry can play a pivotal role in helping politicians make the right decisions regarding infrastructural development in their respective countries.
He said the relationship between the consulting engineering industry and the politician was symbiotic, where politics and infrastructure provision were expected to serve the needs of the people.
“Politicians might appear irrational in their decisions, while the consulting engineer will want to be rational. In the spirit of working together, therefore, the first step in persuading politicians is to build a strong foundation of understanding to find a common ground for making decisions,” he said.
Mr. Amoako-Atta was speaking at the 2023 FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference in Singapore at the invitation of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), who were celebrating 110 years of the organisation’s formation.
The conference was on the theme: “Infrastructure — there’s no time to lose: sustainable global (and local) strategies to build a better world” and sought to highlight the urgency of the need to invest in infrastructure sustainably at both local and national levels to improve the global environment.
The Minister delivered a keynote address on the key conference session topic: “Persuading the politicians — Getting the industry’s message across”.
The session sought to look at how best the industry could engage with politicians and other influential opinion makers to get positive messages across about the need for infrastructure investment.
Mr. Amoako-Atta urged engineers to pursue effective engagement with politicians through collaboration rather than confrontation.
“Instead of imposing our views, you should seek a partnership approach.You should be willing to listen to the concerns and priorities of our elected officials. By understanding their perspectives, you can better tailor your messages to align with their goals. It is, therefore, important that both the politicians and industry players collaborate and engage frequently to ensure the right decisions are made,” he said.
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