ASSESSMENT OF CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF CONSTRUCTION REGISTRATION PRACTICE IN THE CASE OF ADDIS ABABA

Abstract

In many countries, professionals, construction firms, and construction projects are required to register with a central government or regional authority. Registration is used to refer to a number of forms of official recognition that construction business organizations must have. The impetus for the registration comes from different sources in different countries, including enabling the collection of information on the industry, facilitating the regulation or management of the industry, generating revenue, and facilitating procurement through a pre-qualification initiative. These studies were guided by the following objectives: assessing the challenges of professional and company registration practices, overseeing the prospects of construction project registration practices, and assessing the improvement mechanisms of registration practices in the Addis Ababa construction industry. Literature was reviewed from different works, which supported the objectives of this research. The study collected data using a mixed-methods research approach and tested variables involving 154 construction professionals chosen through random sampling methods. For quantitative data, the survey approach was used, and for qualitative data, an in-depth interview and document review were conducted in Addis Ababa. For the analysis of quantitative data, SPSS software version 26 was used. A one-sample T-test analysis was used to compare a sample mean to a specific value, and a factor analysis was used to reduce large variables to a small set of dimensions through the grouping of descriptive statistics. Additionally, for the analysis of qualitative data, cross-case analysis was used. The reliability of the data has been checked by Cronbach's alpha. According to the findings of these studies, the current registration practice of professional ethics and lack of competence exams, annual financial turnover, plant and equipment requirements issues, weak involvement of associations in the registration system, forged academic and work experience documents, a poor documentation system, and weak initiation, promotion, and commitment to practicing project registrations are all challenging factors that affect the current registration practice. In addition, the prospects of current registration practices provide good opportunities for eligible companies to participate in the construction industry. Furthermore, the findings of this study show that the mechanisms to improve current registration practices in the construction industry are as follows: effectively using a database registration system; active involvement of stakeholders and professional associations in the registration system; requiring an examination as a requirement for higher level professional registration to ensure continuous professional development; and controlling double registration at the federal and regional levels. Finally, based on these findings, it was concluded that the construction registration practices need significant improvement