Story By: Bright Kofi Agamah
The Licensed Surveyors Association of Ghana, LISAG, has cautioned Ghanaians to employ Licensed Surveyors when dealing with land issues, most especially with the demarcation of lands.
Speaking to GBC News, as part of activities marking the 2021 Annual Seminar and General Meeting of the Association, a Licensed Surveyor, George Okwabi Frimpong, said non-Professional who are known to be quack surveyors hide behind the Association to operate, resulting in land disputes in the country.
“There are so many people on the streets who call themselves surveyors, and we call them quack surveyors, so get the services of a licensed surveyor or official surveyor who will seek your best interest. Buying land is not like buying tomatoes from the road side, you require some professionals to help you do that, you require a land surveyor, a lawyer in order to have a successful transaction with the land owner” Mr Okwabi Frimpong indicated.
Mr. Frimpong said a lot of land buyers act in ignorance, therefore they should seek the services of a lawyer, who will be in charge of the drafting of a legal agreement between them and the land owners.
He asked Ghanaians not to be in a rush to buy lands but make the necessary enquiries in order to deal with the right person.
“You know that when you are buying a piece of land you are making a huge investment, so for your money not to go to waste tomorrow get the things done right from the beginning, get a qualified surveyor to prepare your plan, what we call the in cadastral plan, that is the plan that will be inserted in the agreement that you will be sign will sign with your land owner. Normally we call that agreement the indenture, and so get that right from the beginning” he said.
Another Licensed Surveyor, Maxwell Lukutor, said although the new land act criminalizes those who engage in multiple sale of land, Ghanaians should do due diligence to secure lands from rightful owners with the necessary documentation to avoid any dispute which later ends up in court.
“There are a lot of the Land Lords who won’t allow you to come in with a surveyor to the do the necessary things you need to do, but you are buying with your money, so make sure you do the necessary search.” Mr. Lukutor said.
”The risk is that if they give you a site plan, you cannot be sure it is this same room you are in, and so you need to get a surveyor to even check what is being giving to you. So you should do due diligence and be sure that you know every little thing about the piece of land you are going to buy.” he added.
The Association aims to make a positive impact on surveying and mapping in Ghana. Its 2021 Annual Seminar and General Meeting will be held from October 13 to 14 on the theme” The Land Act, 2020 Act(1036) and the Licensed Surveyor’s Role for Efficient Land Service Delivery”.