Mr Kofi Essel-Appiah, Chief Executive Officer of Predios Ghana, has urged churches and prospective homeowners to engage the services of professional architects from the idea stage of their building projects to reduce risks and improve project design.
He said owning a home satisfies one’s shelter needs, which was one of the necessities of life, however building or buying a house was also an investment that should last a lifetime.
Mr Essel-Appiah was speaking at this year’s Kingdom Equipment Network conference in Accra which was held in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Architects, Ghana Institution of Engineering, and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.
The conference dubbed ‘Ekklesia Round Table Series 2023’ was on the topic ‘Efficient Development and Management of Church Property in Ghana’.
It was aimed at creating awareness on the legalities of land acquisition and property development, enhancing understanding of architectural, engineering and design consideration for efficient and sustainable construction.
It was also to equip participants with effective church property development strategies to maximize ministry impact.
Mr. Essel-Appiah said ‘every homeowner needs a project roadmap discussed with an expert for maximum investment returns’.
He said the project roadmap involved planning, which was a key component before any building project began.
‘The journey to building your dream home starts with a plan of what you want,’ he said adding that is important to create vision boards, put ideas on paper, gather data and assess the financial cost.’
Mr. Essel-Appiah emphasised the crucial role of professional architects in church property development adding that by engaging the services of competent architects, churches can avoid errors, provide detailed plans to contractors and craft awe-inspiring designs that exalt God’s magnificence.
The Reverend Dr Emmanuel Ansah, Executive Director of Kingdom Equip Network (KEN)said churches bin Ghana owned significant assets including land, buildings, equipment, and other resources.
However, he said management of these assets has not been optimal leading to inefficiencies, wastage and sometimes conflicts.
Rev Ansah expressed the hope that KEN would continue to partner its relevant institutions and religious stakeholders to bring aware ness and discourse closer to churches and related religious bodies so they can appropriately align with the current fixed assets management practices.
Organizations and individuals who had contributed immensely to church building in the country were honoured.
