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Introduction
 Eng. Sam Mambo
GAMA members meet once every year in different countries and the Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya was nominated to host the 2010 Conference and Annual General Meeting. This conference and AGM were held at Sarova Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa from 15 March to 18 March 2010. This was the third time that Kenya was hosting the GAMA Conference. Previously, it was held here in 1991 and 1993.
The objective of these GAMA Conferences is to bring together engineers principally from the Private Sector in Africa to discuss matters of mutual interest and promote a single image for the engineering profession in Africa. The Conferences also provide excellent opportunities for networking. Attendance
The Mombasa GAMA Conference was attended by 147 delegates who came from South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Nigeria, Tunisia and Denmark. FIDIC was represented by the President, Mr Gregs Thomopulos and the Managing Director Mr Enrico Vink. In addition, there were representatives from the African Development Bank and IDC who played key roles in the workshop conducted on 18 March 2010.  Eng. Sam Mambo with the Prime Minister and some of the delegates at the meeting. Theme and Sub-Themes
The conference theme was: The Engineer as a Strategic Partner and the sub-themes were: The Engineer in Policy Formulation and Implementation The role of the Engineer in Improving Governance Sustainable Infrastructure: The Role of the Engineer The Consulting Engineer in Global Economic Recession
Key Note Address
In his key note address to the conference delegates before officially opening the conference, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Eng. Raila Odinga, recognized the important role played by Engineers in nation building and expressed confidence that Kenya’s Vision 2030 will be achieved if Engineers play their rightful roles. He, however, did not mince his words when he told the delegates that there were “rotten potatoes’ among them as was clearly demonstrated by some poor quality work being done and poor financial control of capital projects. He advised Engineers to always uphold professional ethics and refuse selling their profession cheap. The Prime Minister asked Engineers to be in the forefront in fighting corruption and avoid escalating projects by issuing unjustified variation orders. Papers Presented
During the first 2 days, some excellent papers were presented that addressed the various sub-themes. The papers that were accepted for this conference were: The Engineer in Policy Formulation and Implementation by Michael Daka (Uganda) Why Engineering Structures Fail by Sam Mambo (Kenya) Issues and Challenges facing Consultants in Africa by Mayen Adetiba (Nigeria) The Consulting Engineer in Global Economic Recession (Energy Efficiency) by N Mehta (Kenya) Engineers, Policy and Infrastructure by Enrico Vink (FIDIC) Reforms in the Engineering Profession (the Case for Tanzania) by Exaud Mushi (Tanzania Sustainable Deign Infrastructure by S K Mwea (Kenya) Renewable Energy Policy – the Impact of Incorporating PVC Lighting Systems in Domestic Residences by C M Muriithi (Kenya) A Structure to Develop Infrastructure Projects using Master Planning, Development Institutions, and Private, Public Partnernerships by Jonathan Cornish (South Africa) Structuring the Future by Malan Padayachee-Saman (South Africa)
The third day was devoted to a workshop that addressed the theme: Financing Africa’s Infrastructure Tomorrow. The workshop was well attended and the following excellent presentations were made: Overview of the African Development Bank Private Sector Operations by Douglas Barnett (ADB) ADB Organization Structure by Frank Mvula (ADB) Business Opportunities with the African Development Bank Group by Frank Mvula (ADB) African Financing Partnership by Douglas Barnett AMSCO (African Management Services Company) Building Sustainable African Enterprises and Human Capital IDC (Industrial Development Corporation) Financing Projects in the Rest of Africa by Ashley Petersen (South Africa)
Social Functions
Delegates and their accompanying persons attended the following social functions: A Cocktail on the day of arrival, 14 March A visit to one of the best examples of environmental restoration, Haller Park Coast Night Dinner at Ngomongo Village Visits to Fort Jesus and Kaluworks Gala Dinner at Whitesands Hotel
Sponsors
To host a conference of this magnitude, ACEK sought external sponsorship and the following organizations responded positively: Next GAMA Conference
The next GAMA Conference was to be held in Zambia in 2011 but the AGM resolved that this will now be combined with the FIDIC annual conference that will be held in Tunis in September 2011.
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Gama 2010 
