Naijacentral Naijacentral
The Abia Government says it is committed to delivering infrastructure projects that meet global standards by promoting technical competence.
The Director-General of Abia State Project Implementation Bureau (ASPIB), Mr Onyinye Nwosu, said this on Wednesday, at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop organised.in Umuahia by the bureau.
The event, with the theme, “Quality Execution: A Shared Ownership in Building High Quality Resilient Infrastructure through Collaborative Project Management,” was organised for contractors and officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
Nwosu said that the workshop would focus on applying the principles of quality assurance and quality control to improve the delivery of public infrastructure and ensure value for public funds.
He also said that the training was designed to promote collaboration between contractors and government agencies in order to improve project execution.
He said that the initiative aligned with the vision of Gov. Alex Otti’s administration to ensure excellence in public project delivery and long-term infrastructure sustainability.
According to him, the training became necessary in view of the increasing number of infrastructure projects being undertaken across the state.
“Our governor has transformed the state into a massive construction site.
“In order to deliver infrastructure that will stand the test of time, we must ensure strict adherence to quality assurance and control processes,” he said.
Nwosu said that the event provided a platform for contractors and government officials to review project processes and understand the quality management systems established by the government to monitor construction activities.
He said that the training would also help stakeholders understand the expectations on project sites and improve compliance with established standards.
“We must think about infrastructure from a long-term perspective, possibly 50 years to 100 years ahead.
“This requires putting in place the right quality assurance and quality control processes, while carrying contractors and other stakeholders along,” he said.
In a speech, a resource person, Mr Prince Chukwudi, expressed the need for proper soil and site investigations before the commencement of construction works.
Chukwudi said that many infrastructure failures occurred when projects were initiated without adequate geological and geotechnical studies.
He explained that proper geotechnical exploration would help to ensure that project designs aligned with site realities, thereby preventing structural defects and cost overruns.
“If a project is expected to cost about 100,000 dollars, the lack of proper geological investigation could push the cost to 200,000 dollars or more,” he said.
A participant, Mr Chukwuma Okolo, described the workshop as a significant step towards improving project implementation systems in the country.
Okolo said that the initiative would help address the persistent challenge of abandoned or poorly executed public projects.
He said that the establishment of ASPIB by the State Government was aimed at tackling longstanding inefficiencies in public infrastructure development.
He said that the bureau serves as a preventive mechanism to ensure that projects were executed in line with prescribed standards, while safeguarding public funds.
