Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distingués invités,
Dear members of the OICM,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this launching ceremony of the 25th Annual Conference of Associations of Consulting Engineers of Africa, called GAMA (Group of African Member Associations of FIDIC) to be held from 6 to 9 May 2018 here in Bamako.
This would be the first time since the existence of GAMA, it will soon be twenty years that a French-speaking country will host this annual conference. To date, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire are the only francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are members of FIDIC and GAMA.
This event could not have been without the confidence of our friends countries in Africa, first our country Mali, despite some alarmist sirens, and then, us – the Order of Consulting Engineers of Mali, which since its inception by law n ° 97-028 of May 20, 1997 has continued to assert itself as a key player in the socio-economic development of our country and even beyond our borders.
Thus, beyond the roles assigned to it by the law, ie the defense of the moral and material interests of its assets, the OICM ensures the application by its members of the good practices of the engineering as well. in terms of ethics than ethics, guaranteeing quality deliverables to the delight of Contract Authorities and our people.
And for proof, ladies and gentlemen, I proudly tell you that if Malian gold and cotton are selling well, Malian engineering also exports very well and for good reason more than fifteen engineering offices Malian councils work in more than twenty sub-Saharan countries
Today more than ever, about 70% of engineering services in the field of Civil Engineering and Rural Engineering are carried out by the members of the OICM, thus saving our country dry foreign exchange losses. It is the place to recall with force and conviction that no nation can prosper with the intelligence and fortune of others.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, members of the Government
Distinguished guests
The OICM is not on its first try. In fact, in 2001 we organized the first sub regional workshop of consulting engineers in Bamako, which saw the participation of the sister associations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The objective of this workshop was to contribute to the improvement of the conditions of practice and the promotion of Consulting Engineers in Mali and in the UEMOA and ECOWAS space. This led us to play the leading role in WAEMU’s text harmonization workshops on the practice of the consulting engineering profession in its area.
To consolidate the expertise of its members, the OICM regularly organizes ongoing training sessions. As such, at the request of the OICM, FIDIC organized in 2014 here in Bamako, a training on FIDIC contracts.
It was there, excellences ladies gentlemen members of the government, distinguished guests in a few words the Order of Consulting Engineers of Mali.
By wishing to meet you at the annual conference of FIDIC-GAMA in this same place I say to all of you Thank you for coming to this launch.
God bless Mali
Thank you for your kind attention.