GhIS Denies Professional Misconduct in Ghana Compensation Claims

• Ghana's Minister for Roads and Highways indicated the state may report two quantity surveyors to EOCO over alleged inflation of road compensation claims.
• The Ghana Institution of Surveyors released a statement on August 21, 2026, asserting that valuation discrepancies do not automatically equal professional misconduct.
• The GhIS explained that valuation variances stem from legitimate technical differences, including market evidence, heads of claim, and methodology.
• The professional body called on acquiring authorities to assess disputed property claims individually based on supporting evidence.

The Institution emphasized that a gap between an independent report and an acquiring authority's assessment does not, on its own, establish evidence of professional misconduct.

State authorities and private valuation professionals are at odds following comments from the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, regarding Ghana Roads and Highways property compensation assessments. The minister disclosed that the government is considering referring two quantity surveyors to the Economic and Organised Crime Office over allegations of attempting to artificially inflate compensation figures for properties impacted by public road projects.

According to the minister, certain surveyors regularly advise project-affected persons to decline official state compensation offers, assuring them of securing payouts several times higher than state evaluations. Government officials assert that these practices generate significant financial burdens for the state while creating protracted delays in executing critical road construction projects.

In response to the minister's comments, the Ghana Institution of Surveyors GhIS statement released on August 21, 2026, urged acquiring authorities not to automatically treat variance between private claims and state assessments as proof of deliberate inflation or fraud. The Institution emphasized that a gap between an independent report and an acquiring authority's assessment does not, on its own, establish evidence of professional misconduct.

The professional body detailed several legitimate reasons why compulsory acquisition land valuation Ghana figures often diverge. Differences frequently emerge from variations in evaluated interests, specific heads of claim, applied land acquisition valuation methodology Ghana, baseline assumptions, market evidence, and calculated consequential losses. Consequently, the Institution called on public authorities to scrutinize disputed claims individually on their technical merits rather than resorting to immediate allegations of misconduct.

The tension between public project timelines and private property rights underscores the rising legal scrutiny surrounding Ghana surveyors compensation claims professional misconduct. When public authorities raise the prospect of an EOCO investigation quantity surveyors Ghana, legal practitioners handling compensation matters face heightened evidentiary demands.

To effectively insulate clients and expert witnesses from administrative threats or criminal referrals, legal counsel must ensure that independent valuation filings are supported by rigorous market documentation and transparent technical methodologies. By grounding private claims in verifiable data, attorneys can defend legitimate property rights while distinguishing reasonable valuation differences from actionable misconduct.

Lawyers handling compulsory land acquisition and property compensation claims in Ghana must ensure independent valuation reports rigorously detail market evidence and valuation methodologies to insulate client claims and expert witnesses against state allegations of fraud or EOCO referrals.

Source: Original reporting via Ernest K. Arhinful