The Land Surveying Division of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) has placed a clarion call on government to establish a Survey and Mapping Authority to help regulate the activities of surveyors in the country.

Land surveying, according to the GhIS, is critical to the building of a sustainable national infrastructural development, hence if not properly done can threaten the safety of citizens.

The GhIS is, therefore, upbeat the establishment of a Survey and Mapping Regulatory Authority would bring sanity into the surveying and mapping practice in Ghana and also ensure quacks and non-professionals are eliminated from the system.

This, the institution believes, would promote the engagement of professional Land Surveyors which is essential for the eradication of defective structures and land ownership disputes resulting from “wrong surveying”.

This request, among others is a recommendation contained in a communique issued at the end of the 2018 Annual Seminar of the Land Surveying Division of the GhIS held at Ho in the Volta Region.

Briefing the media on the recommendations in Accra, Vice Chairman of Land Surveying Division of the GhIS, Dr. Anthony Arko-Adjei bemoaned how the expertise of the land surveyor has been underutilised in Ghana over the years.

“Surveying and mapping are essential for the design and implementation of all diverse forms of infrastructural developments. Yet, many infrastructural projects in Ghana are either not based on proper surveying or mapping or do not have land surveyors input,” he indicated.

Dr. Arko-Adjei urged government to “prioritise surveying and mapping in physical planning and infrastructural projects in Ghana.”

He is hopeful this will save the country from suffering setbacks resulting from poor concept, design, land acquisition, implementation and costing.



Passage of Survey Council and Land Bills

The Land surveying Division of the GhIS also wants government to advance action on passing the Survey Council and Land Bills into law.

The two draft bills which are before Parliament and Cabinet respectively, when passed, would effectively help regulate the land surveying profession and encourage quality surveying and mapping professional services.

Resourcing Survey and Mapping Division (SMD)

Government has been charged by the Land Surveying and Mapping Division of the GhIS to resource the surveying department of the Lands Commission to enable them efficiently discharge their mandate.

“The surveying and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission must be resourced well in human, technical and financial capacities to be able to supervise and regulate surveying and mapping activities in the country. The Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission should strengthen its research and development unit to investigate surveying and mapping problems and offer solutions that can improve surveying and mapping in Ghana. The Government of Ghana should support the division in this agenda,” the communique stated.

Complying with professional ethics

The Land Surveying and Mapping Division of the GhIS further advised all Surveyors operating in Ghana to be ethical in their practice and continue to deliver “best professional services as well as diligence to ethics and professionalism at all times”.