Story: News Desk
The President of the Ghana Institute of Architects, Tony Asare, has raised concerns over a severe shortage of professionals responsible for safeguarding structural integrity across the country.
Speaking to the media on Monday, 30 March, 2026, Mr Asare disclosed that Ghana currently has only 10 approved architects serving all 261 district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies.
He described the situation as a systemic gap that continues to expose the country to avoidable construction failures.
“We have 261 assemblies, and there are only ten architects. I am not sure they have more than twelve or twenty,” he said.
His remarks follow the recent building collapse at Accra New Town, which claimed lives and left several others injured.
Mr Asare noted that the absence of qualified architects within local assemblies often results in inadequate supervision of construction projects, paving the way for substandard work by contractors.
He stressed that the Institute had repeatedly drawn attention to the issue over the years, but concerns were yet to be addressed in a meaningful way.
“It is something which we keep talking about. We have raised this issue with the various MMDAs; however, they are not compelled by law to ensure they have the full complement of architects and engineers,” he stated.
He warned that without decisive intervention, the cycle of poor construction practices and building failures was likely to persist.
Mr Asare called for a strengthened regulatory framework and a deliberate effort to deploy more architects to assemblies, arguing that professional oversight remains a critical safeguard for public safety and urban development.
