Experts have urged surveyors to embrace emerging technologies, strengthen mentorship and develop clear career pathways for young professionals to ensure the sustainability and growth of the profession.
They spoke yesterday at the annual professional workshop and luncheon of the AsAsociation of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Lagos State Branch, held in Oregun, Lagos.

The workshop, themed “Building a Lasting Surveying Empire: Growth and Longevity,” brought together professionals and industry stakeholders to examine the future of surveying amid rapid technological and business changes.
Speaking at the event, a guest speaker from the Office of the Lagos State Surveyor-General, Mr Adeola Amokaye, stressed the need for surveyors to embrace technology in data capture, processing, storage and documentation.
Amokaye, a geometric engineer, said artificial intelligence (AI), drones, geographic information systems and other digital tools were changing the delivery of surveying services.

He urged surveyors to move beyond producing survey plans for legal purposes and take greater ownership of the data generated through their professional activities.
According to him, accuracy does not depend solely on sophisticated equipment but on the processes involved in data capture, processing, validation, presentation and archiving.

“Accuracy is not an instrument. Accuracy is a process,” he said, stressing the need for systems capable of minimising errors before survey plans reach clients or become the basis for legal and development decisions.
Amokaye also demonstrated SurveyOne, a digital platform designed to integrate data capture and processing and automate aspects of survey production, reducing errors associated with transferring data manually between software applications.

Another guest speaker, Vincent Adewebi, a former Vice President (West Africa) of the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE), said the challenge was not only building successful businesses but creating practices capable of surviving beyond their founders.
Adewebi stressed the importance of succession planning, mentorship and institutional development. Using physical beacons in surveying as an analogy, he urged practitioners to create “beacons” for future generations through knowledge transfer and strong institutions.

Earlier, APPSN Lagos Chairman, Afolabi Olaoluwa, said the future of the profession depended on investment in people, technology and ethical standards.
Olaoluwa urged practitioners to train younger surveyors, adopt green technologies and maintain professional integrity, describing technology as an opportunity to improve efficiency and service delivery.

“Growth is not a race to the biggest; it is a journey to be the best,” he said and advised young surveyors to embrace mentorship, continuous training and ethical standards, noting that professionalism and trust remained essential to long-term success.

The Deputy President of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Kunle Ogunbadewa, said professional legacy should be measured by the institutions and people practitioners leave behind.
He identified institutionalisation, technological leadership, mentorship and integrity as pillars of sustainable surveying practices.

The workshop featured technical presentations, discussions on emerging technologies and free medical screening for participants.

The stakeholders agreed that the continued relevance of surveying would depend on combining traditional values of accuracy and integrity with technology, knowledge transfer and deliberate succession planning.