Surveyors raise concerns on achievement of MDGs

THE achievement of targets for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) may elude the country if the government fails to integrate certain key inputs into its day to day activities, the President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), Mr Jonathan Allotey Abbosey has observed.
“Looking at the slow rate of implementation of development projects and the provision of some social services, the achievement of the target may elude us by the year 2015”, he stated.
Mr Abbosey was speaking at the 40th Anniversary/Annual General Meeting and the Fourth Annual Surveyors Week of GhIS held in Accra.
He said despite the fact that the MDG’s have been streamlined and domesticated into Ghana’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I & II) the concept still appeared very remote or alien.
He noted further that effort should be made, especially by the Ministries, Department and Agencies to achieve the MDG’s.
Speaking on the theme, “Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana- A Reality or a Mirage- The Role of the Surveyor” Mr Abbosey said if the targets of the MDGs were to be attained within the agreed period, then the government needed a well-motivated human resource, efficient cost-effective and transparent land administration system and more importantly, an up-to date geo-spatial data for the planning of development projects.
“Planners require up-to date geo-spatial data to enable them to plan ahead of infrastructure development, if slums and informal settlements are to be controlled to the minimum”, he emphasised and explained that accurate planning schemes could be derived from up-to date maps and plans to facilitate the work of professionals charged with the responsibility of controlling development.
He urged customary land owners with large tracts of land to engage the services of professional surveyors, with the relevant expertise, if even on part time basis, to assist them to manage their lands.
Mr Abbosey, however, gave the assurance that GhIS would continue to collaborate with other professionals to offer cost-effective services to help alleviate poverty, reduce hunger, develop and help maintain infrastructures.
He, therefore, challenged members of the institutions to contribute to the national development agenda by assisting government to implement decisions that would help in achieving the set targets of the MDG’s.
The Chief Executive of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, who chaired the meeting charged members of GhIS to improve the availability of updated information to aid planning and enforce rules and regulations on land surveys and effective planning.
He said the contribution of surveyors to the national development agenda, depicted the importance and relevance of their institution as far as the management of land-based resources, property, construction and environmental issues were concerned.
He said MiDA, based on its goal of “Poverty Reduction through Economic Growth and Agricultural Transformation” sought to improve tenure security for existing land users and to facilitate access to land for commercial crops in the districts under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Ghana programme.
According to him MiDA also intended to rehabilitate and upgrade feeder and trunk roads as well as highways to reduce transportation costs affecting agricultural commerce at sub-regional and regional levels in Ghana.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said he was aware of the inadequacy of Ghana’s land policy and regulatory framework and the underdeveloped land registration system , which he attributed to the large number of land disputes pending before the law courts.
That, he said impacted negatively on the growth and modernisation of the agricultural sector, adding that MiDA saw the sustainability of land reforms as the cornerstone of any successful revolution of Agriculture, of which GhIS had a major part to play.
The choice of theme for the celebration, he said underpinned the institutions effort to accelerate the pace of attaining the MDG’s and also ensuring Ghana’s continued eligibility for the MCA funding.
At the end of the ceremony, 65 surveyors were inducted into the GhIS, while eight survey technicians from various tertiary institutions countrywide were given awards for their excellent performance in their final exams.