THEN: Editorial

Before one can make any meaningful forecast into the future, it is very important to understand the past. That is exactly what we have tried to achieve in this first edition of the TNT series of the Column magazine. Many individuals have made various sacrifices towards the development of the architecture profession in this country. The formation of the Ghana Institute of Architects did not come on a silver platter. It took the tireless efforts of many individuals in a period when most did not believe the indigenous Ghanaian was capable of being an Architect and when discrimination against Ghanaian architects of the time was rife. These efforts gradually paid off in the inauguration of the Institute on the 11th of December 1964.


Architecture has gone through a long period of evolution. Good times and bad times. It now behoves on present generation of the GIA, professionals and students alike to understand that we are what we are not just out of the blue but because sacrifices have been made by selfless people and the only true way we can honour these people is not by writing citations for them or by giving them awards, but by selflessly making our own sacrifices to nurture what they have achieved for the profession so that their sacrifices are not in vain. We can also look to these individuals as role models and this should be not just by word of mouth but by striving for excellence as they did.

I must stress that this magazine is only a highlight of some of the relevant events and people that we have managed to gather within a very limited amount of time and resources and as such we might have omitted certain relevant names and other information either because very little has been written over the years or due to certain constraints which we could not avoid. This magazine cannot therefore be relied upon as a truly clear picture of the entire history of architecture in Ghana.

Hassan Mohammed Salih

Editor-In-Chief