President CheeHai TEO interacts with the Ethiopian Professional Surveyors Association10 August, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
President CheeHai Teo met the Vice President of the FIG Member Association from Ethiopia, Mr. Zelalem Asemu on the afternoon of 10 August 2011 when he was in Addis Ababa attending the UN-ECA GGIM Africa Preparatory Meeting. In the meeting, President Teo and Vice President Asemu discussed extensively on current state of the profession in Ethiopia. The Association is a young professional organization that was admitted into FIG at the recent Working Week in Marrakech. Mr. Zelalem reiterated the need for support not just from FIG but also from neighboring FIG Member Associations to further develop the profession in Ethiopia, to raise the profile of the profession in the country, to promote the contribution of the profession in national development. One of the Association’s key challenges is to promote the significant role of the profession in national development to decision and policy makers. Vice President Asemu also wishes to see the Association and the Profession strengthened and promoted through the development of appropriate standards of practise. Throughout the discussion it was recognized that the Association in Ethiopia is working with very limited resources and would have to rely heavily on the goodwill and volunteerism amongst its membership. Vice President Asemu expressed the hope that FIG will be able to hold some of its activities such as workshops or symposiums in Ethiopia to assist the Association and the Profession particularly in its professional development. Mr. Zelalem and his fellow members were encouraged to tap into the knowledge and resources that is available within FIG, in particular the web-site, to establish comradeship within the association, to work together and develop appropriate programs and activities that would be beneficial towards the development of the profession in Ethiopia. President Teo was also able to exchange greetings with Dr. Tilahun
Erduno, President of the Ethiopian Professional Surveyors Association
over the telephone as he is based in another part of Ethiopia. CheeHai TEO 15 August 2011 |
