‘Insufficient licensed surveyors a blow to Ghana’s land administration’ - UCC lecturer

A Land Use and Spatial Planning lecturer at the University of Cape Coast [UCC], Surv. Engr. Dr. Ebenezer A. Gyamera has pinpointed the inadequate number of licensed surveyors as one of the major factors impeding the smooth administration of Ghana’s lands.

In an exclusive interview with Aniwaba on the rampant issues of land-guards terrorizing citizens and persons who acquire lands, Dr. Gyamera said, if we had enough licensed surveyors Ghana would have by now clamped down on cases of land litigation.

“The ratio of licensed surveyors to our population is inadequate. There are only one hundred and sixty [160] Licensed Surveyors [LS] currently in the country. Meanwhile, Ghana’s population is currently estimated to be over 38 million. This means that every one LS is to approximately serve over 192,864 people. Mathematically, it means that; 1LS: 192,864 Ghanaians. This is disturbingly deficient,” he said in email correspondence.

The Land Use lecturer said per the Lands Commission Act, it is only LS who can be appointed by the Court to conduct court order surveys for land litigation apart from the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission.

“However, the ratio of LS to a court is 2.36 since there are a total of 379 courts in the country. Thus, 160 LS: 379 public courts. So, at any particular court sittings – simultaneously – there shall be about 219 courts unattended to by a licensed surveyor. This is affecting justice delivery at the various state courts in the country,” Dr. Ebenezer Gyamera said.

He added that although the Ghana Lands Commission is making all efforts to ensure proper regulation in the land sector, its achievement has not been up to expectation as compared to other countries.

To curb this worrying trend of issues in the land market, Dr. Ebenezer Gyamera suggested that land use regulatory body needs to be established to effectively regulate the land enterprise in the country. He, as well, called for more professional surveyors to be licensed to enhance efficiency in the cadaster delivery in the country.

“Decentralization of the lands commission to the district levels will also enhance easy accessibility by individuals and it will speed up the land transaction and registration process,” he noted.