COREN Gets Washington Accord Provisional Signatory Status

Funmi  Ogundare

The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has been given the Washington Accord Provisional Signatory Status.

The Washington Accord is specifically focused on academic programmes which deal with the practice of engineering at the professional level. 

The President of COREN, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, who stated this at a media briefing in Lagos recently, explained that the COREN’S Washington Accord (WA) Provisional Signatory would increase Nigeria’s global engineering ranking, translating into economic and technological boom for the nation.

Abubakar said the signing of COREN took place on June 14, 2023 at the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) meetings in Taiwan and made Nigeria the second African member after South Africa.

He said, “COREN was admitted to become a Provisional Signatory of the Washington Accord on June 14, 2023, making Nigeria the 2nd African member of the Accord.”

He enumerated the benefits saying  quality, productivity and mobility of Nigerian engineers would be improved upon and the engineering qualification internationalised without threat of brain drain.

He listed other benefits to COREN – registered engineers to include, technology transfer, improved foreign exchange, improved engineering education quality in Nigerian universities.

He added that it will also help engineering graduates “meet the demands of the industry both in – country and abroad”.

The President said similar arrangements were being pursued by COREN under the Sydney and Dublin Accords for Nigerian Technologists and Technicians to capture the artisans.

“Entry into these Accords would create great opportunities for Nigerian Engineering Professionals,” he said.

Abubakar said the new dawn to the engineering industry would enable it to bring all stakeholders together to harness the gains of existing laws in the country that recognises COREN registered engineers.

This, he noted, will help them take the lead in the local content policy including handling of government contracts and taming quackery.

While fielding questions from journalists, he assured that measures were in place to ensure that Nigerian engineers exported abroad as expatriates returned to use the skills at home.

He said an agreement had been reached with South Africa to allow Nigeria handle exportation of all West African expatriates and also sign a jurisdiction agreement.

He explained that the jurisdiction would spell out how to export COREN certified engineers from other parts of the continent.

Earlier, he gave a detailed history of previous efforts and statutory steps taken since 2018 and obligations met by COREN in the six geo political zones to meet requirements for acceptance.

He also reeled out global partnerships, memberships and certifications that culminated in the reality of finally being accepted into the WA.

The President commended the professional guidance of the nominators from the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) that led to the signing of COREN into the Washington Accord (WA).

The WA signed in 1989, under the International Engineering Alliance, is an international multilateral agreement between bodies responsible for accreditation or recognition of tertiary-level engineering qualifications within their jurisdictions who have chosen to work collectively to assist the mobility of professional engineers.

There are currently 21 countries in the Washington Accord, including UK, U.S., Germany, Canada, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Switzerland, South-Africa, among others.

The signatories of 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.