Accra, Aug. 24, GNA - Daasebre Professor Oti Boateng, Omanhene of Ne= w Juaben Traditional Area, on Wednesday called for the establishment of an innovative mechanism, incorporation of a strict legal enforcement regime, t= o ensure that land surveying in Ghana would be undertaken solely by qualified land surveyors.

He said with the discovery of oil and gas the role of qualified land surveyors would be very crucial in the socio-economic development of that sector, hence the need for that mechanism to flush out fake surveyors from the system. Daasebre Oti Boateng was speaking at the 2011 Annual Land Surveyors Seminar organised by Land Surveying Division of Ghana Institution of Surveyors in Accra. It is on the theme: 93Land Surveyor - Agent of Development of the Oil and Gas Industry". The two-day seminar is to enlighten participants and the public on the role of land surveyors and build capacity of members to be abreast of their professional services and equipment needed to provide quality services to their clients. Daasebre Oti Boateng said the theme of the seminar was both appropriat= e and timely because with the discovery in 2007 of a major untapped oil and gas field off the western coast in Ghana, a new future of huge financial gains was envisaged for the country.

"Since then measures have been put in place to begin the process of farming the huge amount of these natural resources to ensure a rapid transformation of our dear country and to make Ghana stand tall to be counted among the comity of nations," he said. He said all indications revealed very high Ghanaian expectations, whic= h had already generated some speculative tendencies where several hectares of land had been bought by prospective investors most of whom were now saddled with defective titles due to the non-involvement of professionals with knowledge of the land market transactions. "These are some of the social issues the country had to deal with in the oil and gas industry and something needed to be done about it, 93he sa= id and advised them to make training and capacity building of their members their primary concern as technology changes at a faster rate. Daasebre Oti Boateng advised authorities of Surveying Training Institutions to re-align their programmes to reflect modern trends to meet the needs of oil and gas industry.

Mr Henry Ford Kamel, Deputy Minister of Land and Natural Resources, said the role of land surveyors in the socio-economic development of every country was very crucial, yet 93in our part of the world we have not fully appreciated the work of the surveyor". He said role of the surveyor would be very crucial in achieving government's 93Better Ghana Agenda" as they endeavour to develop the c= ountry and urged members to submit their inputs to the new Land Act being put together. "I urge you to make time to discuss key policy areas that would info= rm government policy directions," he said. Mr Edwin Addo-Tawiah, Chairman, Land Surveying Division, commended the sector Minister for involving public and private sector land surveyors in the Land Administration Project Phase One and also for the consultation and anticipated similar involvement in the Phase Two of the project. He said this year's presentations would cover mostly the surveyor'= s professional services linked directly with the oil and gas industry and those related to infrastructural development, mining and land management an= d urged members to take advantage and refresh themselves.

Mr Randy Glymin, Chairman, Planning Committee of the Seminar said the seminar served as a platform for them to acknowledge their capability and discuss challenges facing the profession and urged participants to make every effort to get the most out of the profession. The Ghana Institution of Surveyors was established in 1969 to secure the development of members and advancement of the surveying profession through facilitation of acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitude in th= e arts, sciences, and practice of surveying.