Invest in research to obtain required data for devt — Dr Ato Arthur
The Head of the Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, has called for increased investment in research to gather the relevant data to propel the country's socio-economic development.
He condemned the current situation in which policy implementation officers worked without the support of well-researched evidence.
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Dr Arthur made the call at the launch of a research fund by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GIS) in Accra, during which newly qualified members were inducted into the institution.
Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, was among the surveyors inducted into the institution.
Dr Arthur said the development of every country or profession depended largely on research, emphasising that "no country, organisation or profession could develop without research”.
"However, in Ghana, there is a big difference between research and practice. Either researchers are doing their own thing, without support, or practitioners believe they can do without researchers," he said.
He, therefore, lauded the GIS for launching a research fund to support members to conduct research for the benefit of the country.
"To undertake a project like this means there will be a direct benefit between research and practice," he said.
Real estate
On the real estate sector, Dr Arthur said while players in the sector depended largely on imported materials for their work, most of the materials could be found in the country.
He asked the professionals in the sector to advise real estate businesses to make use of local materials.
He noted that most of the country's technical institutions were being converted into degree-awarding ones, leaving only a few to train artisans.
The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the fund, Dr Matilda Esi Fiadzigbey, said members of the board would work diligently to ensure that the fund was well-developed to make it very beneficial to the institution.
Induction
The President of the GIS, Mr Kwadwo Hohoabu, in his remarks, said it was the core mandate of the GIS to train, certify and provide continuing professional development programmes for members to serve society diligently.
He explained that the institution was made up of three groups of professionals, namely, estate surveyors, quantity surveyors and land surveyors.
He advised the new members to give of their best and also learn from old members.
On behalf of the newly inducted members, Mr Owusu-Bio expressed appreciation to all who helped them to go through the processes to become members of the GIS.
