Ghana’s land and engineering surveyors have merged into a single professional body with the formal launch of the Land & Engineering Surveyors Institution of Ghana (LESIG), held at an outdoor event themed “Shaping the Future of Land Surveying in Ghana.”
Addressing the milestone ceremony, LESIG Convenor and LiSAG Vice President, Lic. Surv. Stephen Djaba, said the occasion marked more than the introduction of a new body.
“Today, we are not merely unveiling an institution — we are unveiling a new chapter in the history of Ghana. We are restoring a profession to its rightful place at the centre of national development,” he said.
He explained that LESIG signals a revival of the surveying field, grounded in Ghana’s past, reinforced by legislation, and shaped by future needs.Djaba linked the profession’s origins to Governor Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg’s time, when organised surveying supported the development of roads, railways, urban centers and land management in the Gold Coast.
He observed that although surveyors once served as the “silent force behind national transformation,” the profession has since lost recognition, cohesion, and a collective voice. At present, he noted, practitioners remain divided, undervalued and challenged by unlicensed activity, to the detriment of national progress.
LESIG aims to reverse this by bringing together Land Surveyors, Engineering Surveyors, Geomatic Engineers, Geodetic Engineers, Geospatial Engineers, and Cartographers under one unified identity known as Surv. Ing.
He added that the institution has set up seven technical commissions focused on Land Surveying, Engineering Surveying, Geodesy and Positioning, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Mining and Resource Surveying, Hydrographic Surveying, and GIS and Spatial Data Science. Combined, Djaba said, these units create a comprehensive framework and establish LESIG as a leading national technical body.
Supported by Ghanaian legislation such as the Lands Act 2020 and the Minerals and Mining Act 2006, Mr. Djaba emphasized that LESIG will promote professional standards, uphold certification requirements, and work with regulatory agencies including the Lands Commission and Minerals Commission to curb unqualified practice, enhance spatial data management and guarantee precision in infrastructure, land governance and resource oversight.
In closing, Djaba urged all surveyors in construction, mining, land administration, hydrography, GIS, and academia to join and take ownership of the body.
“LESIG is not just about professionals — it is about Ghana,” he stated, noting that sound surveying helps minimise land conflicts, ensures precise resource measurement, and supports effective urban planning.
He described LESIG as “the bridge between our heritage and our future,” adding that the profession has now “come full circle” since its foundation in the Guggisberg era.
