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While Tanzania has delayed signing agreements with other member sectors, East African Architects plans to coordinate practice, education and training across the region within two years.
This is according to Wycliffe Waburiri, Chairman of the Architects Branch of the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), a member of the 111-year-old East African Institute of Architects (EAIA).
The institute brings together member organizations from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda to create a community of architects under their respective associations. Wabrili stated this recently at the EAIA annual East African Institute Board of Governors meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
The meeting reviewed the institute’s five-point strategic deployment and summarized the progress made.
The plan proposes to ensure the full participation of all 13 countries of the East African Community (EAC).
“It also plans to increase EAIA revenue to cover all institutional business and activities, increase EAIA brand awareness and awareness; coordinate architectural practice across the region by 2027, and coordinate the education and training of architects across the region.” Waburiri said.
The institute also decided to conduct an evaluation of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) to find out why it failed to work as expected when it was signed in 2011.
The MRA is a formal agreement between the construction regulators in various jurisdictions to mutually recognize the construction qualifications and qualifications of their registrants. They provide them with a pathway to obtain registration in participating jurisdictions.
The Council also approved a budget proposal for the Committee on Practice and Ethics that will enable it to facilitate its observation missions during professional examinations across the region. In order to expand the reach and impact of the EAIA President’s Award, it was suggested that a bursary program be established instead of a student competition.
Institute’s achievements
The committee also proposed a series of measures to increase brand awareness, including improving and relaunching the agency’s website, adopting and using document summaries across the region and using the EAIA logo on department members’ merchandise.
AAK is praised for its vibrant publications program and plays a central role in the Institute’s publications. The committee also reviewed a virtual copy of the 2023 EAIA Yearbook, which highlights the agency’s achievements during the year and marks the agency’s 111th anniversary. South Sudanese representatives attended the meeting.
The institute also seeks to add South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Somalia as active participants in the institute. Somalia officially joined the EAC this year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in March 2022, and South Sudan in September 2016. The MRA is negotiated under the EAC Common Market Agreement Pillar.
Florence Niyor, president of the Kenya Construction Association, said four of the five countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have signed mutual recognition agreements to ensure cross-border practices in the region. harmonious. Once signed, it will follow the Engineers’ MRA, which was signed 12 years ago by Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania and is now operational.
“To date, the trade in services instrument has enabled at least 50 professionals to practice across borders within the region. The institute’s mandate to coordinate construction practice as well as education and training is critical to the cross-border practice and operations of MRAs in East Africa, ” said Nyole.
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“The overarching issue is ensuring standardization of architect qualifications, which provides a common framework and ensures architects from different countries have equivalent skills and knowledge. This enhances trust between clients and architects, allowing them to work seamlessly Working across borders.”
Ms. Niyol asked that these projects be completed collaboratively. “This new way of working expands the consistency of standards, allowing architects from different countries to collaborate effectively on regional projects,” she said.
Ms Nyor said Tanzania had delayed signing the mutual recognition agreement for a number of reasons, including protecting local opportunities. “It is speculated that Tanzania may be hesitant due to concerns about protecting employment opportunities for domestic architects. The influx of qualified architects from other member states may increase competition in the Tanzanian market,” she said.
“There are also concerns about qualifications due to the different education systems in the region. In Kenya the course takes six years and is completed in a two-tier system, while in Tanzania students take five years to complete the architecture course .”
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