The Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN) has urged engineers to take the lead in the delivery of infrastructure projects to remain competitive.
The Managing Director of ACEN, Mr Olufunmilayo Kadri, disclosed this in a communiqué issued to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, at the end of its 2024 Seminar and Extraordinary General Meeting.
Kadri said that the meeting themed, “Future Trends in Engineering and Infrastructure” would help engineers adapt to the evolving demands of the business environment.
According to him, the meeting aim to ensure the engineering profession in Nigeria, remain dynamic, innovative, resilient and capable of addressing the future challenges of infrastructure development.
He also recommended that engineering designs must account for the effects of climate change through the adoption of various considerations, such as green building technologies, renewable energy integration, and environmental sustainability, among others.
”There is also a need to embrace a life-cycle approach in planning infrastructure projects.
”This approach should ensure that the stages of project development—design, construction, and operations are better conceived and implemented at optimal costs,” he said.
Kadri added that emphasis was placed on utilisation of digital advancements in infrastructure development which included the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the concept of Smart Cities.
He called for multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional approaches to broaden engineering practice through collaboration among various fields.
He further called for improved project outcomes, noting that by embracing the outlined approaches, project outcomes would improve, leading to higher quality, more efficient, and sustainable infrastructure.
He added that this would enhance adaptive capacity and foster innovation and creativity through cross-disciplinary collaboration. (NAN)
