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Dormaahene charges land surveyors to work professionally

Social News Dormaahene charges land surveyors to work professionally
AUG 19, 2022 LISTEN

The 2022 Seminar of the Land Surveying Division (LSD) of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors has opened in Sunyani with a call on land surveyors to discharge their professional duty of being ethical in surveying and setting out approved planning schemes.

This is to avoid conflicts and confusion that usually arise out of poorly survey of lands which end up in the hands of supposed multiple owners.

The Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, made the call when he was delivering the keynote address at the seminar, which is being held under the theme, “Co-ordinated Implementation and Management of Local Plans (schemes) for the Socio-economic Development of Ghana.”

Hundreds of professional land surveyors are participating in the programme, which is the first to be held outside Accra since the outbreak of covid-19.

The Dormaahene, who is also the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, called for teamwork among the participants, saying; “there have been many instances of professionals working in silos and not effectively building synergies and institutional collaboration that would promote efficient implementation of local plans.

“The turnaround time for this delivery is therefore hampered with these bureaucratic arrangements causing delay, loss of revenue and also promoting haphazard developments and planning bottlenecks.”

Effective planning

Surveyor Isaac Larbie, the LSD Chairman, also noted that Ghana has suffered tremendously on the environmental front where infrastructural development has taken place haphazardly without any control or adherence to any lay down design schemes.

He stated that proper planning for physical developments requires maps and plans prepared by land surveyors, showing the locations of existing features, infrastructures and nature of the terrain.

“Most of the planning, design and development of layout schemes do have little or no surveying input. These lapses must be re-dressed and the correct procedure adopted to have a meaningful development of the land."

Surveyor Isaac Larbie was optimistic that the seminar would provide an opportunity to discuss challenges militating against their profession and their impact on the socio-economic development in the country.

The Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, who officially opened the seminar, announced plans by the government to pass the Survey Council Bill to, among others, weed out “quack surveyors” whose conduct soils the good image of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

She said industry players such as the Ghana Institution of Surveyors should fashion out plans that would conform to the rules as required by law.

Surveyor Rev. Mrs. Rosemargaret Esubonteng, the President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, who presided over the opening session, added her voice to call on participants to remain united and discharge their professional duties as per the law.

As part of the three-day seminar, staff of the Land Surveying Division of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors would be taken through various presentations to broaden their horizon and also keep them abreast of the current developments in their chosen career.

Some of the topics being treated at the programme include; “the role of the Surveyor and Planner in the preparation and implementation of local plans”, “Spatial analysis of land disputes in Greater Kumasi”, “Multi-temporal analysis on urbanization and its impact on vegetation cover – a case study of Greater Accra region of Ghana” and “Team Building and teamwork among land administration and management professionals in designing delivery and implementing land use planning schemes for good governance.”

Richard Kofi Boahen
Richard Kofi Boahen

Bono, Bono East and Ahafo CorrespondentPage: RichardBoahen

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