Events and Exhibitions
CESA CALLS ON INDUSTRY TO
STEP UP FOR SA ’ S ECONOMIC RECOVERY
By Consulting Engineers SA ( CESA )
This was the message delivered at the annual presidential media address hosted in Johannesburg through the announcement of the 2022 theme .
“
We have the ability to rewrite the gloomy narrative which has dominated our lives in recent years – the pandemic and its challenges . We can overcome , we can recover . But we have a lot of work to do – as an industry we need to ask ourselves , where do we even begin ?” This was the question posed by Olu Soluade , the newly appointed president of CESA .
Backed by a strong career in the consulting engineering industry , Soluade succeeds outgoing president Sugen Pillay and will serve for the 2022 / 23 period . In selecting his presidential theme for the year and in answering his opening question , Soluade aims to focus his message on “ A Call to Service ”.
“ The construction industry was again the worst-performing sector in the economy in 2021 . Whatever goals we are looking to achieve , whatever message we want to convey and whatever progress we want to make are underpinned not by the what , but by the how . We know what needs to be done to move our industry and our country forward – it is the way we do it which will define our success . I believe the time has come for us all to get involved in contributing to the economic recovery of our country .”
Soluade stated that being called to service should come naturally , even when juggling priorities . He believes there are four requirements for service :
• Availability : “ We need to set aside and volunteer some of our time ”.
• Willingness : “ We cannot be coerced into service ”.
• Sacrifice : “ There will be tough decisions to make ”.
• Vision : “ We must keep an eye on the end goal ”.
Soluade believes that leading by example is the hallmark of great service . “ This means talking the talk and walking the walk – with integrity and excellence . Successfully working in service for this public need will greatly aid in achieving our goals and motivating our industry ”.
In light of this , Soluade uncovered five core areas which will underpin CESA activities for the year ahead . 1 . Increase advocacy efforts in the area of sustainable transformation in respect of race , gender , and technology in our sector .
2 . Maintain the standards of professionalism and build on the
© RACA Journal | Benjamin Brits
At the 2022 CESA annual presidential media address – from left : Sugen Pillay ( past president ), Olu Soluade ( newly appointed president ) and Chris Campbell ( chief executive officer ).
levels of quality management whilst encouraging CESA members to integrate sustainability into the solutions offered to their clients .
3 . Improve on the business and advisory support to members and clients with an emphasis on best practice procurement .
4 . Continue efforts towards building and strengthening partnerships with government , private sector client bodies of our members as well as with other stakeholders .
5 . Ensure that good governance and integrity prevail within the industry and profession , particularly amongst CESA members as the apex body for the consulting engineering sector in the country .
These focus areas respond to industry challenges which have become all too familiar , and which are reflected in the 2021 CESA Bi-Annual Economic and Capacity Survey or BECS .. Respondents highlight concerns with regulation , procurement , skills development , and private sector participation in public sector challenges . Ethics , accountability , and corruption were – as expected – high on the list of concerns from survey respondents .
The BECS report also showed a decrease in public sector clients , especially SOEs , with 50 % of projects now coming from private sector clients . This is higher than 2020 and 2019 .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I April 2022 17