The Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure has announced the implementation of a new directive aimed at ensuring the professional competence of experts in the construction industry and upholding construction quality standards.
The new policy mandates that all construction professionals, from entry-level to senior roles, undergo formal training and obtain legal professional certification before engaging in any construction work.
State Minister of Urban and Infrastructure Yitmgeta Asrat (PhD), emphasized that establishing an integrated system of training, assessment, and certification is essential to addressing recurring quality issues and validating the expertise of industry professionals.
To ensure the success of this initiative, the Ministry is working in close coordination with the Ministry of Labor and Skills. This collaborative effort aims to utilize Technical and Vocational Education and Training centers to make the certification process both accessible and effective nationwide.
The State Minister noted that the directive will be implemented in phases. Ultimately, the certification will become fully mandatory, and professionals without official accreditation will be barred from participating in construction projects at any level.
However, the Ministry clarified that before the law is strictly enforced, thorough preparations and the creation of enabling environments for professionals remain a priority.
This policy shift comes as a direct response to growing concerns regarding the quality of the construction sector in Ethiopia. Currently, the absence of a standardized professional assessment system has been identified as a major challenge.
A significant point of concern is the lack of a post-academic assessment mechanism. Once graduates enter the workforce, there is currently no systematic way to measure or update their professional competence. As a result, individuals lacking verified expertise have been operating under the title of "engineer," contributing to the decline in construction quality.
The industry is further strained by the migration of experienced and highly skilled professionals to foreign countries in search of better opportunities. Furthermore, domestic professionals often lack access to institutionalized training to keep pace with new technologies, forcing them to learn through trial and error on active project sites.
Currently, the lack of a robust regulatory framework makes it difficult to hold contractors accountable for timely and quality project completion once a contract is signed.
To mitigate these challenges, the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills, is developing a comprehensive framework where professionals will not only be trained and assessed but also held accountable for professional malpractice.
While the process of making this certification mandatory nationwide is expected to take several years, official reports confirm that preparations and preliminary implementation activities are already underway.
