and innovation
The National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) has said it will ensure that firms and individuals are complying with standards when building in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
The government entity, which is mandated to regulate, promote and develop the construction industry in the country, says it will ensure all infrastructural projects prioritise resilience in the face of natural disasters.
NCIC Chief Executive Officer Gerald Khonje said this on the sidelines of the Fourth Construction Sector Joint Consultative Group Meeting in Blantyre held under the theme ‘Incorporating Climate Resilience in Planning, Designing and Implementation of Infrastructure Projects’.
The indaba brought together experts in the construction sector and other industries to discuss mechanisms of ensuring quality in construction.
Khonje said the council is working with all stakeholders in ensuring that all infrastructures are built in line with internationally set standards.
“If our infrastructure has to be resilient to changing climate patterns, it has to answer the question of quality. This therefore calls for industry agility and innovation,” Khonje said.
Ministry of Transport and Public Works Principal Secretary for Administration Madalo Nyambose urged industry players to be in the fore in ensuring quality.
“Let us think about resilience and quality. With the experience of Cyclone Freddy, stakeholders are showing commitment to ensuring that implementation is done and resilience is looked into in our plans,” she said.
Malawi continues to lose billions of Kwacha each year due to substandard infrastructure projects, a situation experts have decried as retrogressive.
Experts single out corruption during bidding and tendering processes, lack of capacity among some contractors and consultants, and a quest for cheap labour, among the contributing factors to poor workmanship in the industry.
