A renewed push to reposition land surveying at the heart of Ghana’s development agenda took centre stage at the official unveiling of the Land and Engineering Surveyor's Institution of Ghana, a new body aimed at unifying professionals within the sector.

Delivering the keynote address, Stephen Djaba, Vice President of Land Surveyors Association of Ghana and an honorary member of the International Federation of Surveyors, described the launch as a turning point for the profession.

“This is not merely the unveiling of an institution, but the beginning of a new chapter in Ghana’s history,” he said, underscoring his deep personal commitment. #

“If you test my blood, you will find surveying in my DNA.”

Addressing a gathering of industry leaders, academics, and government officials, Mr. Djaba traced the roots of surveying in Ghana dates back to the Gold Coast era under Governor Guggisberg, when structured land systems supported major infrastructure such as railways and urban settlements.

He noted that despite its foundational role, the profession has over time lost prominence and unity.

“Surveyors are the first to step onto the land and often the last to leave, yet the profession has become under-recognised and fragmented,” he observed, citing the proliferation of unqualified practices as a key concern.

The newly launched LESIG seeks to address these challenges by bringing together land surveyors, engineering surveyors, geodetic and geospatial engineers, cartographers, and hydrographers under a single professional umbrella.

“You do not need two institutions to be complete. You are one professional — a surveyor-engineer. You belong here,” he stated.

According to Mr. Djaba, LESIG will operate through specialised commissions covering key areas such as land and engineering surveying, geodesy and positioning, photogrammetry and remote sensing, mining and hydrographic surveying, as well as GIS and spatial data science.

He stressed the importance of collaboration, particularly with the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission.

He further highlighted the central role of surveying in Ghana’s legal and economic framework, referencing legislation such as the Land Commission Act (2008), Land Act (2020), Survey Act (1962), Minerals and Mining Act (2006), and the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (2016).

Accurate spatial data, he said, remains critical for land registration, natural resource management, and infrastructure development.

Illustrating the profession’s impact, Mr. Djaba recounted how surveyors successfully identified subsea boreholes for the Aboadze thermal plant after months of unsuccessful attempts by international divers.

“It took a land surveyor to locate those boreholes under the sea.

This is the kind of expertise LESIG brings to support national development,” he said.

Describing LESIG as a platform for “restoration, unification, and transformation,” Mr. Djaba said the institution is poised to serve as a comprehensive technical authority in land governance and spatial systems.

He also reflected on his early career, noting that as a 1994 graduate of the Tarkwa School of Mines, he became one of the first young Ghanaian surveyors to present a technical paper at a FIG conference in Australia—an experience he said cemented his lifelong dedication to the profession.

“LESIG is here, and it represents the change Ghana needs,” he concluded.