The leadership of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) , the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority(LUSPA), the Lands Commission and the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) have agreed to build synergies to enhance the country’s land reform agenda. At separate meetings in Accra which focused on leveraging their expertise to sanitize land administration in the country, they acknowledged their critical roles which ought to be well-knitted to help reduce the myriad of challenges bedevilling the land sector. The courtesy call was part of plans by the new executives of GhIS to reach out to quasi-government agencies in the land sector to synergise their expertise and strengthen their bonds to make their mandates achievable.
The first point of call was on the leadership of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) which is a service delivery agency under the Ministry of Local Government and the organization responsible for ensuring the sustainable development of land and human settlements through a decentralized planning system, ensuring judicious use of land and creating an enabling environment for District Assemblies to better perform the spatial planning and human settlement management functions.
The President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) , Alhaji Sulemana Daud Mahama who led a team of executives noted that the interaction was a fruitful one upon which the two institutions will build on to explore viable inputs into land administration. He noted that the Ghana Institution of Surveyors is this year focusing on transformation in land administration and requires partners such as LUSPA to drive that agenda. Alhaji Dauada was of the view that land administration issues are a critical matter and is very dear to them, therefore they will leave no stone unturned to help redefine the land administration regime.
For his part, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Land Use and Spatial Planning, LUSPA, Mr. Kwadwo Yeboah indicated that the two entities are bedfellows whose roles are reliant on each other. He said the meeting was an opportunity to kick-start the process of building synergies to safeguard the land administration in Ghana. The two institutions pledged to further collaborate to meet the national aspirations of land administration.
The executives of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors also paid a courtesy call on the management of the Lands Commission in Accra. The Executive Secretary of Lands Commission, Mr James Ebenezer Kobina Dadson who is a past President of the GhIS noted that the Institution plays a critical role in national development. He noted that the Lands Commissions is the single largest contributor of members to the GhIS and therefore it is incumbent on them to build synergies to transform the land administration sub sector. The meeting according to the two organizations was fruitful, and they believe will yield a positive impact on the development of Land issues.
The GhIS team further on called on the Office of Administrator and Stool Lands (OASL) and her team. The Administrator, Maame Ama Edumadzie Acquah, a past President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, who could not hide her joy commended the Executives for the visit, saying their doors are always open to all partners especially surveyors to help to champion a common cause in land administration. She added that the challenges are enormous, but with such collaborations, they stand a big chance of overcoming them.