Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has pledged to push through the long-delayed Surveying Council Bill, signaling a renewed effort to strengthen professional oversight and modernize land administration in a sector critical to investment and infrastructure development.
Speaking on the minister’s behalf at the 21st Surveyors’ Week and 57th Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors in Accra, Deputy Lands Minister Sulemana Yusif said passage of the bill is a “non-negotiable commitment” and a personal priority of the sector minister. The proposed legislation is expected to reinforce professional regulation and ethical standards within the surveying field, an area authorities say is central to restoring public confidence and addressing chronic land disputes.
The minister described surveyors as foundational to national development, providing spatial data, valuation accuracy and cost control across housing, infrastructure and natural resource management. As the government advances urban renewal, land reforms and climate resilience initiatives, collaboration among land, valuation and quantity surveyors has become essential, he said.
The push for stronger regulation comes alongside broader reforms under the government’s Land Bank and Digitalisation Project. According to the ministry, large tracts of land have been secured for commercial agriculture and nationwide mapping is underway to produce updated orthophotos.
In a move aimed at accelerating reform, the Ministry of Finance has approved the retention of 100% of the Lands Commission’s internally generated funds, with 67% earmarked for digitalization. Officials say the measure will support decentralization of services, digitization of legacy records and shorter processing times for land transactions.
Weak boundary demarcation, fragmented geospatial data and inconsistent land-use controls have created loopholes for abuse, the ministry said. Authorities are banking on technology-driven surveying and a forthcoming National Geospatial Policy to improve inter-agency data sharing and reduce disputes.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Douglas Boateng argued that the surveying profession remains under-protected within Ghana’s legislative framework, a gap he linked to recurring land conflicts and the rise of informal land enforcers. He cited international examples, including Rwanda’s land reforms, to illustrate how secure land tenure systems can unlock investment, increase agricultural productivity and expand access to credit.
Kofi Obeng-Ayirebi, president of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, said the profession is central to infrastructure, housing, ports and mining development. He announced plans to establish a Centre of Excellence to strengthen professional development, research and innovation, positioning surveyors as strategic partners in the country’s economic transformation.
For policymakers, the Surveying Council Bill represents a structural intervention in Ghana’s land governance framework, with implications for property markets, infrastructure finance and broader investor confidence.
