2019 Ghana National Project Management (PMI) Conference Opened

The 2019 National Project Management Conference was opened yesterday by the Hon. John Peter Amewu ,the Minister of Energy at Ghana Academy for Arts and Science.

The conference is meant for brain and experience packed professional learning and networking and an opportunity for project management practitioners and businesses to share knowledge.

The theme for the conference is “Executing Ghana’s Transformation Agenda through Effective Project Management. In his opening address he said that History is not always a good indicator of the future. It is high level of management, accuracy and determinations that will move us  to arrive at success. The transformation agenda of the nation lies largely on us by implementing long and short terms projects. It is the responsibility of the government to champion transformational development but It is a known fact that because of different objectives and goals governments project failed.

They are prolonged for years or instantaneously terminated without achieving their primary objectives leading to waste of tax-payers money.We can only move forward with strong fundamental project management principles and values.Annually government spent billions of dollars on portfolios or project but for one reason or the other they are not realized. Ghana has her fair share of abandoned or failed projects because of political or private interest. 

According to him in  Damoah in 2017 stated that most projects in Ghana failed on all the six pillars and they are; Meeting the projected target, Cost, Requirements, Stakeholder satisfaction, national development and a contribution to the sector where the project is being carried out.

About one of every three projects did not come to fruition due to wiliness and acceptability by the communities the projects are carried out and lack of effective project management practices and corruptions.

In order to curtail failures of government projects in the near future,  the current government has set up a committee to  include project management practices for transformational agenda for monitoring and evaluation of projects at the presidency with a policy framework being designed.In the 2019 budget,  provision of 38 billion Ghana cedis is made for transformational agenda in the areas of industrialization, agriculture, Social interventions etc .

To achieve this, we need effective project management practices in discharging our duties as government. The issue is not about Project Manager but about effective project management practices.According to Mr. Rockson Kwesi Dogbegah, President of Institutes of Directors (IoD-Gh), we must be mindful of how we conduct ourselves in appearance and character.

As a construction practitioner he has pushed Ghana transformational agenda through PMI and have had over 25 years of experience in the industry. He admonished the participants not to be professional excuse givers and let our voices be heard in all sectors of the national agenda

The root of project management is seated in planning and we have been in transformational front since 1957 but moving at tortoise-pace. We should not forget discharging our duties as project managers centered around planning, processes, performance and people. In order to be effective as project managers, compliance, culture, commitments and Committee are areas we should develop expertise in.

We need a single coherent transformational agenda since Ghana is for us. During implementations stages of national projects we should make ourselves available and useable and challenge ourselves as project managers.

The Ghana PMI chapter president, Jumoke Lafenwa welcomed all participants to the conference. It is with great pleasure and privilege to be hosting the key drivers in the 2019 Conference. Over 400 participants were expected.

She humbly encouraged delegates, businesses, sponsors etc to make the needed time to attend all sessions of the conference and the Vison of the Chapter is to advance the practice, science, and the professions of project management in a conscious and proactive manner. Anthony Ayivi, PMP