Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has urged consulting engineers to explore opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and the advancement of consulting practices in Nigeria.

Wike, who spoke as the chief host at the 45th Annual Conference of Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria, (ACEN), in Abuja, said it was important to leverage the expertise of consulting engineers in addressing the challenges in infrastructure development and to ensure that infrastructure in Nigeria meet the highest standards, as well as align with international best practices.

He stated that Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a tremendous opportunity for the country and collaboration between engineering professionals and the government will help harness its potential and position Nigeria as an engineering and infrastructure hub in the region.

He further declared: “As a government, we remain committed to creating an enabling environment for consulting engineers to thrive and we are eager to work with ACEN to streamline regulatory processes, ensure fair and transparent procurement procedures, and provide support for research and innovation in the field.

Its President, Ajibade Oke, explained that the association would use the platform for taking stock of all activities to date.

He said: “The meeting always gives us opportunities to evaluate and discuss our role in the Nigerian economy. We will send out messages to governments at all levels on how their policies affect our businesses and how we can be employed for a better Country and for the sustainability of our Nation’s infrastructure development.”

Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Samson Opaluwah, noted that the importance of collaborations among professionals could not be overemphasised. He listed some areas where collaboration could yield substantial benefits to include project collaboration and coordination, capacity building, standardisation and regulation of the built environment amongst others.

In his address entitled: ‘Advancing consulting engineering practice in Nigeria and collaborating with government for African Free Trade benefits’, Prof. Jonathan Aremu of National Action Committee on AfCFTA, said there was urgent need for African economic integration.

He added that Nigeria has the potential to become a major player in the African economy by virtue of its market size, its human and natural resource endowments and the roles it has played including its hosting of the African Union (AU) Lagos Plan of Action of 1980 that kick-started the economic integration of the continent.

Aremu maintained that the country signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement on July 7, 2019 following extensive stakeholder’s consultations and engagements on the impact and readiness assessment of the continental integration.

According to him, while the commencement of the agreement presents a real milestone for African unity, it depends on the commitments of member states about what has been and is being negotiated.

He said ACEN and other stakeholders in the building industry could maximise the benefits of AfCFTA by defining appropriate positions that will enhance effective integration into its implementation.