Nigerian engineers have joined 21 others in a global engineering alliance under the Washington Accord (WA), which will promote local expertise in the international stage.
Nigeria is the second in the continent after South Africa to join the accord. The WA signed in 1989 is an international multilateral agreement between bodies responsible for accreditation or recognition of tertiary level engineering qualifications within their jurisdictions, to collectively assist the mobility of professional engineers.
There are currently 21 countries in the WA, including UK, USA, Germany, Canada, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Switzerland and South Africa.
As practiced by the other accords that cater for engineering technologists and engineering technicians-Sydney and Dublin, respectively, the signatories of the WA are committed to the development and recognition of good practice in engineering education.
The activities of the accord’s signatories are intended to assist the growth of globalisation of mutual recognition of engineering qualifications. They are focused on academic programmes, which deal with the practice of engineering at the professional level.
The accord acknowledges that accreditation of engineering academic programmes is a key foundation for the practice of engineering at the professional level in each of the countries or territories covered by the alliance.
The attainment of the feat was made possible through the Council of Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). COREN had expressed interest in becoming a member of the WA in 2018 and officially submitted its application in 2019, which could not receive the minimum required number of votes from other signatories.
The requirements to be met before admission are confirmation of engineering education curriculum to Outcome-Based Education (OBE), sufficient evidence of the independence of the accreditation body from government or external influence and others.
COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, who disclosed this in Lagos, said some of the benefits include, “the quality, productivity and mobility of Nigerian engineers would be improved upon and the engineering qualification offered in Nigeria is internationalised. Engineers plying their trade in other economies of the world, will enhance the transfer of knowledge, which will in turn, improve Nigeria’s technological capacity.”
He said Nigerian engineers are opportune to practice in other parts of the world, the exchange of currencies between the two economies is promoted.
He further said similar arrangements are being pursued by COREN under the Sydney and Dublin Accords for Nigerian technologists and technicians. Entry into these accords would create other opportunities for engineering professionals.
