The edifice, a container building which offers a sustainable and versatile building solution within the same premises of the Institution, will be completed in six months.

It will serve as a national anchor for professional development in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), value for money (VfM) auditing and data processing hub.

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, Mr Kofi Obeng-Ayirebi, President, GhIS, said the ceremony marked a turning point for the Institution and the profession in Ghana as it showed their readiness to invest in knowledge, research and capacity building to meet the sector’s evolving demands.

He said the specialised Centre would be a haven for resolving disputes relating to land, property and construction efficiently and professionally in accordance with the ADR Act, 2010 (Act 798) and the GhIS ADR Centre rules.

The President also said the value for money advisory and project audit unit would be for evaluating public and private sector projects to ensure cost-effectiveness and sustainability.

“Our data processing hub would be a repository and analysis centre for vital data on infrastructure costs, land values and real estate markets – supporting evidence-based policymaking and investment. As a training institution, the Centre will empower young and experience professionals in ADR, project auditing, cost engineering and data analytics,” he said

Mr Obeng-Ayirebi said GhIS over the years had undertaken VfM audits of all road contracts under the Sinohydro projects, land swap VfM analysis for the Kwabenya Police Barracks and land redevelopment audits on housing for Superior Court Judges amongst others.

“As we move forward, the challenges are many but so are the opportunities. With the right people, resources and systems, this Centre can be a transformative force, one that enhances public service delivery, professional standards and economic growth,” he noted.

Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, Minister for Roads and Highways, said quality of work, costing of projects and efficacy of contract were challenges he had been facing in the road construction sector, adding that the GhIS held the key to efficiency, professionalism and how cost could be minimised.

“I am happy about the units that will deal with ADR and value for money (VfM). Use your Centre of Excellence to train members to become VfM auditing individuals and firms so that we can license them just as you have licensed others.

Dr Kwadwo Yeboah, CEO, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, who spoke on behalf of Mr Ahmed Banda, Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, called on the GhIS to engage the Assemblies on the preparation of base maps for development to avert the uncontrolled and uncoordinated development by the handiworks of local surveyors as seen in the urban areas

The Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) was established on February, 28, 1969 at the General Meeting of the Ghana Branch of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, where a resolution was passed and the Constitution was promulgated.

Their core value is to promote best practices and innovation in the surveying profession through continuous professional development and services to members and the public.