As part of ongoing efforts to align Zambia’s engineering standards with internationally recognised best practices, engineering professionals regulators the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) held a two-day bilateral engagement.

The engagement supported the EIZ’s preparation to submit its application for provisional or full signatory status to engineering education standards organisation the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) under the Washington Accord, ECSA says.

This application will be presented at the IEA meetings, in Cape Town, from June 7 to 12.

Zambia has 12 universities offering engineering programmes accredited by the EIZ as part of a pilot phase, marking a significant milestone in the country’s accreditation journey, says EIZ policy, public relations and national development VP Kennedy Musonda.

The bilateral programme focused on cooperation and technical alignment in key areas central to professional credibility and public trust in engineering, including continuing professional development, professional registration, and accreditation and post-accreditation systems.

To support this work, ECSA lead mentor Professor Kasongo Nyembwe, who is recognised as an expert in accreditation, has been appointed to guide the EIZ as it advances its accreditation and international recognition journey.

Nyembwe indicates that the preparatory work is almost complete, with the next milestone being the EIZ’s formal defence of its application at the IEA meetings in Cape Town, after submission.

Further, the meeting between the regulatory organisations underscores the importance of collaboration between African engineering institutions in strengthening professionalism, credibility and engineering outcomes that support sustainable development, ECSA says.

Collaboration between ECSA and the EIZ began in 2019, with ECSA providing mentorship support to the EIZ in strengthening its accreditation systems in line with the IEA quality assurance requirements.

While progress was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, momentum has since been regained, ECSA says.

The event also reflects ECSA’s continued commitment to contributing to the growth of a robust and credible engineering profession across the continent, grounded in public safety, consistent standards and capable institutions, it says.

“This bilateral engagement is part of ECSA’s commitment to strengthening engineering regulation across the continent to support public safety, professional credibility and mobility.

“ECSA is enabling its peers through knowledge exchange, mentorship and practical collaboration that advances internationally recognised standards for the benefit of the engineering fraternity and the communities we serve,” says ECSA regulatory services and international relations acting executive Niniza Mtshali.