New FAEO President Ohaga targets stronger engineers, innovation, infrastructure and African ownership of development

DAR ES SALAAM: Dar es Salaam recently hosted the contest for the presidency of the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), where Engineer Erick Ohaga was elected with 83 per cent of the votes cast, securing a strong mandate to strengthen the engineering profession and position African engineers more centrally in the continent’s development agenda. FAEO serves as the overall leader and unified voice of the engineering profession in Africa, applying engineering and technology for the benefit of humanity and the sustainable development of the continent. Representing more than 1.5 million engineering professionals across five regional blocks, the Federation provides an important link between African engineers and international institutions, including the World Federation of Engineering Organisations and the African Union.

Eng Ohaga, Director of Nuclear Infrastructure Development at the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA), previously served as elected President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya from 2022 to 2024. His election gives him responsibility for leading a diverse continental engineering community operating under different professional, economic and regulatory environments. Describing the 83 per cent vote as both an honour and a significant responsibility, Eng Ohaga said the result represented confidence in the direction of FAEO and a mandate to deliver meaningful results for engineers across Africa.

He said his leadership would focus on listening, uniting and acting, rather than treating FAEO merely as a representative organisation. According to Eng Ohaga, engineers expect greater opportunities for young professionals, stronger standards, mobility across African countries, meaningful participation in major infrastructure and industrial projects, and greater recognition of engineering as a driver of economic transformation. His priorities centre on three broad areas: developing African engineering capacity, increasing African participation in major projects, and strengthening collaboration among engineering institutions across the continent.

He said continuous professional development, mentorship and leadership development would be strengthened, with particular attention to young engineers and women in engineering. He also called for closer collaboration between universities, professional institutions and industry to ensure eng…