Institution of Surveyors pushes for regulatory framework to properly guide its members

The Federation of Ghana Institution of Surveyors is pushing for a regulatory framework that will properly guide the work of its members and also help address the menace of quack surveyors.

Many landowners usually fall victim to the activities of unqualified and uncertified surveyors, a situation which often leads to land litigation and disputes.

As a step to address these challenges, the Lands Commission under the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has initiated a digitalization drive to capture all details of lands to make it easier for land acquisition and to address issues of fraud and litigation.

Speaking to Citi News at the annual conference of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, the President of the Federation of Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Surveyor Alhaji Daud Sulemana Mahama, expressed worry over the absence of a state regulatory law that guides surveying, which gives room for quack surveyors to operate.

He, however, noted that the bill is before the Attorney General for consideration. He thus noted that if the bill is considered and passed into law, it will help correct infractions and prevent quack surveyors from operating.

“In Ghana, we don’t have an overarching law that sort of regulatory surveillance, and that is a significant disadvantage the country has. We have been championing the need for regulation of the industry, such that surveyors are properly regulated and licensed by a state agency, so that if there are infractions, they can be held accountable. If you are not properly trained as a surveyor, do not practice as one.”

The Chairman of the parliamentary select committee on lands and forestry, Francis Manu-Adabor, on his part highlighted the essential role surveyors play in the acquisition of land and construction. He noted that the Lands Commission has started a digitalization drive to address issues of land litigation.

Francis Manu-Adabor also lamented the use of quack surveyors in land demarcation by some chiefs, which he says has been a major concern in the country.

“They are digitizing information at the Lands Commission, people have been trained and over-trained. It’s a process, it’s not something we can do at once because we don’t have maps covering the whole country. We have to go against quack surveyors in the system. Most of the chiefs, instead of hiring professionals, they prefer to use their nephews and people close to them, so that the money will remain in the house. At the end of the day, they do quack work, we are praying that the system will stop.”

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