By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
INNOVATION and creativity from the contemporary and historical perspective has been driving major economic shifts world over.
Breakthroughs and discoveries in the 19th century gave birth to the industrial revolution and is propelling the technological revolution the world is witnessing.
Countries leading the way in the new era are recording major economic milestones as compared to those turning into ‘consumers’ of engineering products .
This calls for our local engineers to step up efforts and participate in the world of innovation.
Engineers need to ‘outperform’ titles and lead the way in industrialising the country by coming up with ‘lively’ products that can have an impact on the general economy.
During a recent Engineering Institutions of Zambia (EIZ) function, Energy Minister Peter Kapala challenged the engineering profession to change and achieve extraordinary things.
He was convinced the power of engineering lies not only in its ability to design, build structures, machines, and systems but also in its capacity to drive innovation, improve living conditions, and promote sustainability.
Mr Kapala wants engineers to have the potential to dream big and bring those dreams to reality being the lifeblood of the economy.
“We are the problem solvers and innovators who must continue to push the boundaries of what is possible,” he notes while adding that theirs is not merely a profession but a force for progress, innovation, and positive change.
This can only show this to the people through action.
The country has numerous infrastructure projects under the Government and the private sectors with heavy participation from foreign contractors which calls for a serious reflection.
Another area which requires heavy involvement of local engineers is finding a solution to the ongoing power rationing which has seen an eight –hours load-shedding to find mitigation measures.
On March 11, Zesco Limited commenced a load-shedding programme which has been caused mainly by insufficient generation capacity due to reduced water levels in major reservoirs.
This follows below-normal rainfall patterns experienced during the 2023 to 2024 season as a result of the El Nino drought phenomenon due to climate change.
Therefore, the engineering profession has become key in the area of designing and managing systems and technologies to beat climate change, strengthen systems, and bolster supply chains. mitigation and adaptation against climate change.
Indeed as Mr Kapala observed the electricity crisis we have is showing a gap in our application of engineering and infrastructure development.
We should not leave everything to the Government, but forge collaborations with other stakeholders and there is a need for engineering professionals to take the lead in this regard.
It is believed that providing unbiased technical advice to decision makers and the public, motivating change through innovations and communicating the consequences of inaction, engineering professionals have the ability to instigate change, motivate and encourage communities to seek a better future.
Engineering touches almost every aspect of modern life and is critical in creating better energy solutions, towns that function more effectively and communities that are sustainable, secure, healthy, just and prosperous.
The country is exposed to increasing global uncertainty with rapid change in many aspects which called for home-grown solutions to counter more sophisticated threats.
This calls for a radical shift in how the country approaches science and technology to achieve desirable societal outcomes.
Engineering professionals are well placed to help policy makers by bringing practical solutions from a wide range of specialisation and applying a systems approach for engineering.
It is encouraging that EIZ is making inroads to making engineers more visible on the local and international stage .
The institution, according to EIZ president Able Ngándu, has continued pursuing membership to the International Engineering Alliance.
This has reached an advanced stage under the mentorship of the Engineering Council of South Africa.
It is also hoped that the institution can have the Washington Accord soon, followed by Sydney and Dublin accords respectively.
This will help in ‘globalising’ the Zambian engineering profession thereby gaining closer border recognition that will act as a springboard for increased local and international participation in public and private works.
On the other hand, the institution is reportedly pushing for charge-out rates for engineering professionals which will bring sanity and equity in the execution of engineering.
The impact of assessment was concluded in November last year and submissions were received and a compiled report was submitted to the Business Regulatory Review Agency (BRRA) for further guidance.
It is time the engineering professional stood up and be counted and start being more relevant to the country’s engineering needs.
The men and women in the respected profession should ensure that they perform beyond their engineering titles.Some time back it was not fashionable to add the title engineer to the name of an engineering professional, but now it is fashionable and some of them take offence when ‘ENG’ is not added to their names.
In Zambia and other jurisdictions some people are obsessed with titles but it was time we began to ‘blend’ with our achievements to spice up the titles.