‘Infrastructure deficit barrier to economic growth’

Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit remains a barrier to economic growth and global competitiveness and our priority is to position consultations as inexpensive partners in Nigeria’s development.

According to the 21st President of the Association for Consulting Engineers of Nigeria (ACEN), Engineer Kunle Adebajo, this means moving beyond just the role of technical search providers to becoming trusted advisors, policy advisors, and champions of sustainable development.

Adebajo who spoke at his investiture as the 21st ACEN president in Lagos said infrastructure, healthcare, energy, or technology provision requires the deliberate application of engineering principles to transform ideas into practical solutions.

He said: “Roads, power systems, water supply, digital networks, and industrial processes are engineered outcomes that improve productivity, connectivity, and quality of life. Conversely, engineering is development because it enables economic growth, social inclusion, and sustainable progress. Where engineering is thoughtful, ethical, and people-centred, development is not accidental, it is designed, built, and sustained.”

He lamented that the nation is standing at a crossroad despite recent progress as millions still lack access to reliable electricity, safe water, efficient transportation, and resilient public works, adding that the scale of the challenge demands not just investment, but innovation, integrity, and collaboration.

He called for consistent focus on thinking beyond immediate challenges by advocating for infrastructure and policies that serve generations to come.

The ACEN president advised policy makers on the need to partner with Consulting Engineers  as their expertise, according to him, are at the heart of the current transformation and also indispensable in bridging the infrastructure gap while ensuring that projects meet global standards of safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Adebajo regretted that despite abundant talent, Nigeria continues to rely heavily on foreign expertise for complex projects.  He called for the strengthening of local content, fostering indigenous innovation, and building capacity for local manufacturing as they remain critical for economic self-reliance and sustainable growth.

He maintained that ACEN will continue in its major role of shaping public policy, influencing regulation, and advocating for the interests of the profession and society at large.

Also, he laid strong emphasis on nurturing the next generation and ensuring that young professionals stay focused, and are empowered to lead and shape the future.

According to him Nigeria’s youth are its greatest asset, yet too many young engineers regrettably feel excluded from decision-making and underserved by policies that are meant to empower them. “Meaningful youth engagement is not just a moral imperative, but should be learnt from global best practices. We need to continue to seriously address the skills gap and capacity building particularly in emerging fields such as renewable energy and cyber security. No nation can rise above the quality of its engineers. We will work tirelessly to close the skills gap and align engineering education with industry needs.

 “Our priority is to position consulting engineers as indispensable partners in Nigeria’s development journey and this means moving beyond the role of technical service providers to becoming trusted advisors, policy influencers, and champions of sustainable progress,” he stated.

Development is engineering because every meaningful advance in society, whether in infrastructure, healthcare, energy, or technology, requires the deliberate application of engineering principles to transform ideas into practical solutions. Roads, power systems, water supply, digital networks, and industrial processes are engineered outcomes that improve productivity, connectivity, and quality of life”, he added.

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Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Eng, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the Special Guest observed that the consulting engineering profession sits at a critical intersection in our national development.

According to her it’s not merely about drawings and designs but about shaping the physical backbone of our economy.

She said: “Consulting engineers increase career-based balance, project governance, cost-to-discipline, safety compliance, and long-term asset performance. The advice they give determines whether infrastructure stands the test of time or becomes the burden on future generations. The profession must continue to insist on competence over due process and a life-cycle value over short-term savings”.

She called on the ACEN 21st president to use his office not only to reinforce integrity, agenda, professionalism, and respectability but also create the balance of accountability across the consulting engineering space.

The Guest Speaker, Mr.  Bambo Adebowale said engineering does not operate in isolation but at the intersection of enterprise, policy, capital and national development. He lamented that millions of Naira has been lost to projects not because of lack of merit and expertise, but because expertise is sometimes converted to hate, or purged to misery. He noted that most capable engineers are rarely the most vocal and called on policy makers to ensure that professionalism and ethics are deployed in terms of project implementation and execution.

Engineering taught me that credibility is earned in advance, not in the introduction. Titles matter, but regulations also matter and there is a need to be a balance between over-regulating, under-regulating, and not regulating at all. Nigerian engineers excel globally in issues of competence. The question is whether we’re building systems worthy of their existence, he stated.

Also speaking, the immediate past president of ACEN, Eng. Kam-Selem Bukar urged the new president to work on expanding the capacity of members while deepening the professional development programme. He also canvassed the deepening of stakeholder’s engagement to ensure the association is pivotal in the national affairs.

Earlier, the chairman, investiture planning committee, Eng. Mayen Adetiba said ACEN advocates professionalism and ethical practice in all spheres of life. She said the engineering body is looking forward to strengthening its relevance to evolving demands of our national development.