Construction project management expert, Professor Emmanuel Adinyira, has unveiled a series of initiatives to strengthen Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) education and practice in Ghana through the Adinyira Built Environment Research (ABER) Foundation, a non-governmental and non-profit research organisation he founded to drive capacity building, knowledge transfer, and networking.
Delivering his inaugural lecture at KNUST, Prof. Adinyira underscored the urgent need for “a new orientation and change in attitude towards HSE through research, capacity building, knowledge transfer and networking.” He said the ABER Foundation would play a central role in this effort by supporting academic excellence while extending its impact to communities.
Beginning in the 2025/2026 academic year, the Foundation will institute an award for the best student in Construction Health and Safety Management, alongside organising debates and quizzes to raise awareness. These initiatives, he explained, aim to nurture students as HSE ambassadors in their homes and communities.
Looking beyond the university, Prof. Adinyira outlined plans to collaborate with principals and teachers in senior high, technical, and vocational schools to establish Health and Safety Clubs, which will instill safe practices among young people.
“I am particularly interested in the key you hold in changing the poor occupational health and safety in this country,” he told his student audience.
He further challenged fellow researchers to align their work with pressing societal needs, cautioning against the disconnect between academic output and real-world impact. “We cannot continue to publish all these papers and still witness a continuous decline in HSE performance,” he said, stressing that effective HSE practices directly influence national development and community survival.
Prof. Adinyira concluded by reiterating that HSE knowledge transfer is not only feasible but also a moral imperative. He called for collective efforts to transform research into practical solutions that safeguard both public health and the environment.