By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Feb 20, GNA – Mrs Rosemargaret Esubonteng, President, Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), says the country does not have a comprehensive digital map base to support geo-information delivery.
“The last time modern maps were created was in 1974, and at that time, several urgent needs for all development actors were frustrated due to the lack of basic information,” she said.
Mrs Esubonteng said this at the launch of the 18th Surveyors Week and 54th Annual General Meeting, on the theme: “Transforming Land Administration in Ghana: The Role of the Surveying Professional”.
The lack of digital map data, she stressed, was fuelling a race among many public agencies to acquire and process their own data.
“This creates serious challenges with accuracy and compatibility because the State mapping agency is not resourced to provide this basic need,” she added.
She said the absence of an integrated land information system and database, which would provide the requisite information to support bodies such as local assemblies and the Ghana Revenue Authority to boost revenue from property rates and other land-based revenues was needed.
Mrs Esubonteng noted that the challenges frustrated the ability to leverage strong digital and electronic workflow processes to ensure greater interoperability between the Lands Commission and other bodies, such as banks and financial institutions, to facilitate collateralised lending.
She said there was a need to develop office infrastructure for the newly created regions besides Accra and Kumasi to support the operations of the public sector land agencies.
Mrs Esubonteng said the GhIS would support the government and its agencies to improve land administration through capacity building in skills valuation, land acquisition, feasibility appraisals, and dispute resolution to build the capacity of judges, NGOs, and others.
“We will also support these institutions through linkages with international professional bodies like the International Federation of Surveyors, the European Real Estate Society, the Commonwealth Association of Surveyors, and Land Economy to improve the sector,” she said.
GNA