The construction sector, which is the second most important sector in the Ethiopian economy in terms of workforce and 9.5 percent of the GDP in 2016, is crucial in ensuring the successful transformation of the economy, Construction Minister Aisha said.
Speaking at a day-long at African Union Conference Hall today, Aisha Mohammed said the construction industry is crucial to ensure a rapid, sustainable and equitable socio-economic development of the country.
The construction sector is contributing to the promotion of entrepreneurship and private sector development, she added.
Yet, she noted that the construction industry has to be transformed ahead of time to ensure the successful transformation other sectors.
She further indicated that the industry is facing challenges such as quality related problems, time and cost overruns that attribute to its poor performance.
According to the Minister, shortage of competent, registered and certified human resources together with lack of effective construction project management and the change resistant behavior of the industry to adopt the dynamism of the technology have resulted in low productivity.
“We have piloted an intensive campaign to change attitudes of rent seeking and self interest serving practices by promoting professionalism and creating a system that regulates itself which ensure transparency and accountability,” Aisha stated.
Ethiopian Construction Technology and Management Professionals Association President, Moges Tibebu said the workshop is aimed at creating a forum to discuss on a range of issues related to transformation in the construction industry, sharing of practical experiences in the sector, benchmarking on best practices and to provoke policy dialogue.
He added that it is also expected to provide inputs for the development of the construction sector in Ethiopia.
The participants of the workshop came from various construction related government institutions, private contractors, professionals from Belgium, Germany, South Africa, Sudan, and UK.
The workshop under the theme “Construction Industry Transformation, Global and National Perspective” was organized by Ethiopian Construction Technology and Management Professionals Association and Ministry of Construction.