Dr Prince Hamid Armah, Deputy Minister Nominee for the Ministry of Works and Housing and Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwesimitim has proposed stringent measures in handling developing defects in the country.
According to the deputy minister nominee, the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) should include certification of contractors from Architects and Engineers Councils, as part of the requirements of granting building permits.
During his vetting by Parliament on Monday, Dr. Hamid Armah stated that such requirements would make it unattractive for individuals to engage the services of unqualified Architects and Engineers.
His suggestion was in response to a question posed to him by a member of the vetting committee, to the effect that unqualified draftsmen and masons are taking over the construction industry, leading to collapsing of buildings and development defects.
He blamed the country’s development challenges on failed regulatory framework and behaviour and attitude of the people.
The deputy minister nominee was also in agreement with the suggestion that the Architect Decree must be changed and was urged to assist in pushing the Architect Bill from draft stage at the Ministry to the Attorney General’s Office and to Parliament, to be passed into law.
With his diverse background in education and consultancy, Dr. Hamid Armah promised to bring on board transferrable skills in what is termed essential and 21st century skills that encompass problem-solving, team play, collaboration and investigation.
“I intend to bring these essential skills to attempt to solve the problems that confront the ministry of Works and Housing,” he assured.
The nominee also commented on the roles of various agencies and departments under the Ministry, in solving the housing challenges of the country.
He said with access to housing, the state must take keen interest in equitable provision of housing as human rights and one of the SDGs, and “if we leave it in the hands of private limited company, we will not be able to reach the people”.
The PhD holder in Mathematics gave his thoughts on the Saglemi Housing Project, saying although the state has already invested so much money into the project, ’I think that we need to bring back the original intent of the project into fusion.
“I understand that the ministry has already constituted a technical committee to look at private participation in offloading and ensure that the project is completed for use.”
Brief profile
Dr. Armah was born in October 6, 1981, at Kwesimitim Zongo in the West region, to a Muslim father and Christian mother.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mathematics Education (Curriculum, Pedagogy and Educational Policy) – 2015, Master of Education (M.Ed) in Mathematics (Instructional Technology) – 2011 and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) in Mathematics (Teaching & Learning Mathematics for Years 12-18) – 2007.
He was a Principal Consultant for Work Bank project on Ghana Secondary Improvement Project for three years, as well as a Principal Consultant for Greenfield Education Consultants.
Dr. Armah also occupied the position of the Acting Director-General for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) and lectured at the University of Education, Winneba.
