In response to the needs of the current generation, engineers have been challenged to design solutions.

The Ministry of Works and Transport, Engineer-in-Chief Samson Bagonza, noted that Uganda, like many countries in the Global South, faces unique challenges and opportunities on its path towards sustainable development.

He said Uganda faces the challenges posed by increasing population, depletion of resources, climate change, environmental impacts, and global warming.

“Engineers must address these challenges with new ways of thinking in their designs and also work within existing environmental legislation,” he said.

“Engineers are responsible for design, construction, manufacture, maintenance, operation and servicing of efficient and economic infrastructure, technology, processes and systems. Every engineering design involves the use of both renewable and non-renewable materials and energy. Sustainable development means “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” he added.

Isaac Mutenyo, the chairman Engineers Registration Board addressing participants during the World Engineering Day celebrations at Hotel Africana on March 4, 2024. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)

Addressing engineers at celebrations to mark World Engineering Day under the theme ‘Engineering solutions for a sustainable world’ at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Bagonza said there is a diverse range of specialized engineering disciplines of application.

These he said include; conventional engineering design which involves the identification of a problem, analysis and generation of alternatives, preliminary design of the chosen alternatives, detailed design, construction, startup, operation and maintenance.

He noted that to operationalize the concepts of sustainable development, engineering education and practice must adapt to sustainable engineering principles, which involve “the integration of social, environmental, and economic considerations into product, process, and energy system design methods.”

“Principles, guidelines, innovative designs, and indicators need to be put forward to form the basis of sustainable engineering practice in Uganda. With a focus on both the present and future generations, sustainability is anchored on three pillars: environment, social and economic,” he added.

In 2015, the United Nations member states including Uganda adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership.