GHIS Calls for Passage of Land, Real Estate Agency Bills

By Michael D. Abayateye

The Valuation and Estate Surveying Division of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors (GhiS), held its annual divisional seminar in Accra with a call on the government to pass the Land Bill to provide some form of legislation to guide their operations.

Speaking at the event, President of the GhiS Egbert Kwadzo Hohoabu said, the Land Bill and the Real Estate Agency Bill were important to land administration in the country and appealed to government to ensure its passage.

The seminar held under the theme, 'Valuation and estate survey practice: Celebrating the past, redefining the future,' brought together surveyors and stakeholders from across the country.

The Land Bill when passed would among other things, harmonise the myriad of laws and regulations on land in the country and create sustainable management and administration guidelines.

"The Bill is also very important to the nation's land administration. I appeal to government to make every effort to see the passage of the Land Bill as well as the Survey Council Bill which would bring sanity to surveying and land administration in the country," he stated.

He added that, "the Real Estate Agency Bill is the third one which the institution would like to solicit for government's utmost support in receiving it for further consideration."

The institution he said was ready to partner the government to provide professional services in areas such as land surveying, acquisition and compensation, government estates and facility management, value for money audit, research, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

In his response, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio

who was the guest speaker reiterated the government's commitment to the passage of the bills.

"The ministry has accepted the challenge to fasttrack the Land Bill, which is now almost halfway through," he assured.

He added that, the Surveying Council Bill is also being referred to cabinet for approval before being forwarded to Parliament and would help move that as well.

All other bills he said would be pushed through the appropriate agencies to ensure they become law for effective operation within the land system adding that, the real estate sector is very important and must have some legal backing.

The minister congratulated the institution for their cohesion as they effectively collaborated despite having three divisions including, land surveying, valuation and estate surveying and quantity surveying.

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