Minister of State, Mrs. Dawn Hastings-Williams, on Thursday February 6, 2020, formally opened the newly launched Diploma in Land Valuation Programme at the University of Guyana (UG).
The programme, which is free for all thirty participants, is being done through a collaboration between the UG and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission GLSC. The first class for the 18-month Diploma Programme commenced on Thursday
The participants were drawn from the GLSC, the Deeds Registry, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission.
Due to lack of human capacity, the GLSC has been unable to execute its valuation mandate, thus discussions were initiated between UG and the GLSC to develop a sustainable solution to this matter.
“Valuation is a critical pillar in effective land administration… The main aim of the valuation process and you the ‘upcoming valuer’, is to reach a point about which stakeholders feel sufficiently confident to take decisions in the face of uncertainty, hence the importance of this Professional Diploma in Land Valuation,” the Minister of State said.
Minister Hastings-Williams and Commissioner of the GLSC, Mr. Trevor Benn shared similar sentiments as it relates to the new possibilities for Guyana, especially with the emerging oil and gas economy. Land interests have already been on the increase, primarily along the coast and water fronts.
“These programmes are very critical to the work this country is about to embark on especially in oil and gas. As we prepare for what is going to come and in order for us to fulfil the needs of everyone, this programme is essential. We have to get our act together because people are going to come and replace us if we don’t prepare ourselves,” Mr. Benn said.
Mr. Benn also noted that Guyana has not been keeping up with international trends as it relates to property valuation.
“Our properties have not been re-valued since the 1990s and we have a big need for valuators in Guyana. So, this programme will help us to be able to fill that vacuum and to enable the country to earn its full and right share from properties in the country,” he said.
Chair of the Transitional Management Committee at the University, Professor Paloma Mohamed, in brief remarks, lauded the step that has been taken by the Commission to ensure that its staff are properly trained to carry out their functions.
