Kenya: Contractors Seek Flexible Building Rules to Cut Costs - Players in the building and construction sector have asked the government to relax the building and construction code to spur further construction of houses to meet growing demand. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Ministry - Building Control Bill in Pipeline - The Works Ministry has put forward a Building Control Bill to guarantee decent, secure and planned building structures in the country, the State Minister for Works has said. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Contractors Ask Govt for Law On Construction - BUILDING contractors have urged the Government to enact a law to regulate the construction industry. "The nation lacks a policy to regulate the industry, to set and enforce bylaws and to evaluate and classify contractors," Gumisiriza Birantana, the chairman of Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, said. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Govt Unveils New Construction Rules - THE Government has developed a National Construction Industry Policy to manage the physical infrastructure. [AA Construction]

Rwanda: Gov't Sets New Building Code - The Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) yesterday launched the Rwanda building regulations manual which will act as a standard reference for the building, design and construction in the country. [AA Construction]

For all companies involved in the construction and infrastructure sectors, the new Eurocode regulations will have decisive importance. Haig Gulvanessian is one of the experts who was involved in developing the Eurocodes.

Professor Haig Gulvanessian has a medal on a unique ribbon that many people desire. In 2007, he received one of Britain’s top honors when, together with a famous travel writer, a jazz pianist and a former head of British Intelligence, he was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth for his “services to the construction industry.” He also has the Czech Technical University’s prestigious “Gold Medal First Class,” an honor he shares with former US President George Bush Sr. Both decorations, proudly placed on his mantelpiece, recognize his achievements in the fields of civil and structural engineering, particularly in the field of Eurocodes.

Uganda: Strictly Enforce Building Standards - KAMPALA City Council's (KCC) decision to suspended construction works for nine building sites pending their evaluation is a step in the right direction. [AA Construction]

Rwanda: Ministry Sets Strict Building Standards - Government has finally come out with building standards to regulate the booming construction industry in the country. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Town Planners Lauds KWSG On Planning Laws - The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Kwara State chapter, has commended the state government on its concerted efforts on urban and regional planning laws. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Blame Professionals, Businessmen for Sub-Standard Construction, Products - Akanya - Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. John Akanya, in an interview recently spoke to a team of media executives on alleged lacklustre performance by the standards watchdog in checking the influx of fake and sub-standard materials into the country. But the SON boss says the body is not to be blamed, stressing that unhealthy rivalry among industry professionals on one hand and the average Nigerian businessman's resolve to import low quality goods on the other are the major reasons for the impasse. HOUSES & HOMES EDITOR, Michael Simire, was at the session. Excerpts: [AA Construction]

Rwanda: KCC Inspects Construction Standards in Poor Suburbs - Leaders of Kigali City Council (KCC) yesterday grilled local leaders after touring some of the areas that are inhabited contrary to established construction standards in Gasabo and Kicukiro Districts. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Enforce Construction Laws - AUTHORITIES at City Hall have threatened to take punitive action against developers who alter building plans to suit their selfish interests. [AA Construction]

Ghana: Country Has No Building Codes - Experts - Even though, there are buildings springing up at all corners of the country, which suggests that, the economy is robust and resilient, experts in the building industry have observed that, most buildings erected in the country are not strong enough to withstand shake ups as well as having infective electric systems. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Experts Urge Building Code Enforcement - Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Professor Akin Akindoyeni, at the weekend in Abuja, blamed the problem of collapsed buildings and its attendant human and material loss on the Federal Government. [AA Construction]