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The Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), in the effort to harmonise standards and regulations for the engineering profession will digitalize the engineering practitioners’ database to build a reliable and trusted source of engineering services data through professional engineering institutions in Africa.

This initiative which is one of the four critical areas of FAEO for 2023 and 2024 under the leadership of current President Engineer Azawadi Papias Dedeki, and the Executive Board where ECSA President, Engineer Refilwe Buthelezi, serves as President Elect, is in line with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement focused on a single continental market with a population of about 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of approximately US$ 3.4 trillion. 

The digitisation of the engineering practitioners` database will facilitate business transactions within Africa by promoting market access of products and services by all the stakeholders and mobility of engineering personnel.

FAEO through the contribution of its member countries, will create this database of all professionals in different domains and levels of expertise in engineering and share it with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to draw from when required. 

The programme will enable an educational, skills, policy, and knowledge trade-off between African countries as well as help address the challenge of foreign experts trying to solve African problems through its national members. This alludes to the remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address on the current energy crisis, saying “We have deep skills and expertise right here in South Africa – we just need to use them”.

This initiative of creating a single market of engineers is a strategic imperative of Agenda 2063: the Africa We Want, and calls for partnership models, robust frameworks for engineering education and practice informed by accurate data of engineering capabilities, quality and quantity of human capital needs, developmental aspirations and economic development. 

For South Africa this entails ECSA strengthening its partnerships with its stakeholders including voluntary associations, industry bodies, academia, and government to actively contribute to create the ideal African continent. 

The implementation of this programme will be cemented on the following key areas: 

• Harmonization of Standards
• Grooming and Growing Indigenous African Engineering Firms
• Supporting E-commerce
• Creating Markets
• Knowledge Transfer and Investment Support
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Support to Innovation, Research, and development. 

The programme will see an African continent where engineers contribute to ensuring that all people have access to the services and resources necessary to live healthy, fulfilling lives in dignity and at peace, while working to preserve the global environment. 

Issued by the Engineering Council of South Africa