Officials from the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and German’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, engaged residents and artisans of the Jamestown community on safe and sustainable construction practices.
The residents were educated on the Standards for cementitious materials as well as methods of mixing concrete.
The Deputy Director-General in charge of General Services at the GSA, Hon. Samuel A. Jabanyite, during the engagement, said that the Authority was stepping up efforts to improve safety in the county’s construction industry. According to him the Authority is developing a standard for concrete to ensure quality building materials and reduce structural failures.
He also stated that through the partnership with the German government, they have discovered local materials that can be used to produce cement which can help drastically reduce the import of clinker which in the long term will help create jobs and boost the country’s economy.
He appealed to the residents to take the lessons drawn from the engagement seriously to ensure a safe built environment in the country.
“We are here to visit and teach you how to use cementitious products right. The GSA and the German government are partnering to come up with more sustainable methods to improve cementitious materials which are safe for the environment. Let’s practice the things studied her to help promote a standardized built environment in the country,” Hon. Jabanyite noted.
Dr. Ing. Wolfram Schmidt, a Senior Researcher at BAM, explained that his outfit was partnering with the GSA to help improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of construction materials and chemical standards in Ghana.
He took the residents through various standardized methods of mixing concrete and the importance of using the right measurement when mixing concrete among many other good construction practices.
Ms. Tlhatlha Pheladi, an official from BAM, took the residents through a construction handbook which spells out instructions and guidelines on “Safe, Smart and Durable Construction in Ghana.”
The partnership between the GSA and the BAM is a key international cooperation aimed at improving the quality, safety, and sustainability of construction materials and chemical standards in Ghana.
This collaboration forms part of a broader, ongoing institutional partnership agreement between the GSA and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).