The Surveyors Registration Board in partnership with the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) held a two day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Conference on 12th and 13th July 2017 under the theme “The 21st Century Surveyor And The Surveying Profession: What Next?”
Speaking at Hotel Africana, Judy Rugasira Kyanda, the new Chair of the Surveyors Registration Board, stated the importance of professional development to the surveying industry: “Continuous professional development is critical in enabling the Surveyors Registration Board achieve the mandate of regulating and controlling the practice and activities of the surveying profession”.
“This is our first CPD event since the current board took office in February, this year, but we believe it is only the beginning of a fruitful relationship with our members who would like to exploit training and professional development opportunitiesin order to advance the surveying profession in Uganda”, said Judy Rugasira Kyanda, who was also a key note speaker and trainer at the two day workshop.
Other speakers at the conference included Hon. Betty Amongi Akena (Cabinet Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development), the Katikkiro of Buganda Owekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga, Hon. Richard Masereje (President of the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda) and Ronald Sengendo (Chairman of Land Surveyors in Uganda).
Elizabeth Natukunda (Director at Turner & Townsend (Pty) Limited), Sheila Kebirungi Kaijuka (Director at Ridge Consulting), Tarja Mbabazi (Legal Manager PBB Credit at Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited) and Angela Namakula Ofwono (Head of Legal, Barclays Bank and representative of the Uganda Bankers Association) completed the line up from the corporate sector.
Speakers from the region were also present including Mr. Wafula Nabutola (RICS Regional Director in charge of Sub Saharan Africa), Prof. Francois Viruly (Associate Professor, School of Construction Economics and Management – University of Cape Town) and Indrani Govender (RICS & CEDR Accredited Mediator based in Durban, South Africa).
“We are thankful to our sponsors Stanbic Bank, Tropical Bank and DFUC Bank who made it possible for us to deliver a quality two day training and development event. Without support of this nature, we would be challenged in offering such much needed CPD’s for the profession” said Judy Rugasira Kyanda, the Chair of the Surveyors Registration Board.
The training was well received by participants, who appreciated the need for training to facilitate continuous learning of surveyorsas the profession is said to be constantly changing. The participants also lauded the collaboration with internationally recognized regulatory bodies such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyorswhoare proactively raising the bar in ethical and professional practice in Uganda.
“The board will work to protect the integrity of services provided by Surveyors in Uganda, by ensuring only competent Surveyors are registered and practicing in Uganda and continuously monitoring their performance. This will enable the board to evaluate and regulate standards better” said Judy Rugasira Kyanda.
During the conference, Honourable Betty Amongi, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development urged practicing Valuers and Surveyors to practice professional and ethical codes as cases of over valuing, mapping out gazetted territory and land fraud are on the rise.
Currently, there is a legal requirement for any qualified person wishing to practice surveying in Uganda, to be registered with the SRB after passing the assessment of practicing competence with the ISU, and have a valid Practicing Certificate issued by the SRB annually.
The conference was also a platform to discuss issues such as changes in collateral based lending, opportunities and challenges of emerging technology in land surveying and the ‘kyapa mu ngalo campaign’ which was discussed by the Katikkiro of Buganda Owekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga.
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