5th FIG Regional Conference
Accra, Ghana, 8-11 March 2006

Promoting Land Administration and Good Governance

The 5th FIG Regional Conference was organised in Accra, Ghana, 8-11 March 2006 together with the 37th Ghana Institution of Surveyors Conference. This was for the first time that FIG organised its regional conference in West Africa. The interest in Ghana and the region, particularly Nigeria should be mentioned, exceeded all expectations of the organisers. Totally almost 650 participants attended representing 50 countries - representatives from 20 African countries and from 30 countries from overseas.

The conference was organised by FIG and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) in co-operation with the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines and the Land Admisnitration Program (LAP). Co-hosts included FAO, UN-Habitat, UN Economic Commission for Africa, RECTAS, AFREF, International Society for Mine Surveying, Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies and ISPRS. Sponsors and exhibitors covered the whole field of surveying and geomatics.

The theme of the conference "Promoting Land Administration and Good Governance" was well selected and most actual not only in Ghana but in whole Africa. The big land administration program or project in Ghana gave good input both to the technical programme and discussions. The participants also had the opportunity to visit the programme during a study tour.

At the opening ceremony the keynote addresses were given by Senior Minister HE John Henry Mensah on behalf of His Excellency Mr. John Agyekum Kuffour, President of the Republic of Ghana and Prof. Holger Magel, President of FIG. Greetings were brought by Hon. Minister, Prof. Dominic Fobih, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines and Prof. Ian Dowman, ISPRS, on behalf of JB GIS and other partners. The welcome address on behalf of GhIS was given by Dr. B.E.K. Prah, President of GhIS.

In the technical programme there were 25 technical sessions and workshops on AFREF, education in Africa and on cadastral domain model. Running five sessions in parallel the sessions attracted lot of delegates biggest sessions over 200 listeners and plenary sessions more than 350. Totally almost 150 papers were presented and published.

The technical exhibition was compact having booths covering surveying and geomatics technology internationally and in Ghana.

Social highlights of the week included the welcome reception and the Ghanaian Evening at the La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel, which was the conference venue and Gala Dinner at the Golden Tulip Hotel. The Gala Dinner was at the same time the Annual Awards Dinner of the GhIS including the handover ceremony of the presidency of the GhIS.

The joint technical tour on Saturday collected about 120 delegates to Kakum National Park and Cape Coast Castle. During the trip participants learned about the nature and history of Ghana.

Before the conference the FIG Council and Commission officers had their administrative meetings focussing mainly in implementation of their work plans and planning the FIG Congress 2006 in Munich in October 2006.

Links to material from the Regional Conference in Accra