AAQS general assembly was successfully held in Kampala, Uganda on 2nd November 2017. The daylong meeting brought together delegates from 11 countries which I consider impressive.
I say this because the choice of Kampala was a last minute switch of venue from Kenya due to political uncertainties. We are very grateful to the Institute of Surveyor of Uganda (ISU) for putting up such a great show on short notice. The General Assembly was complemented with one day conference with very rich topics – again exceptional cooperation from ISU and its chosen speakers.
The general assembly agenda culminated in elections which are held after every three years. The new team which I lead as the President is a mix of old guards and new blood with reasonable gender balance.
For the new members, welcome to the AAQS family and know it is quite infectious! once in we don’t want to leave. It is gratifying to note that 5 out of 6 past presidents of AAQS were present –showing their unwavering commitment to the Association.
The outgoing president Prof. Rob Pearl summed his achievement during his tenure and challenged the incoming team to uplift AAQS to the next level and I believe we are equal to the task.
The strategic plan we have been developing will move to the implementation stage. The Exco elevated the strategic committee to a full board signifying the importance of this function in the next phase of the Association’s development.
In summary we are supposed to make AAQS sustainable, harness the ICT capability available to enhance member communication, expand membership and achieve observer status at the African Union.
The secretariat will be boosted by the arrival of a new office manager in January 2018 to provide support service to Exco’s various boards and committees. I am very grateful to the outgoing President who has executed this role in the last six months pro-bono. The steering committee led by Dr.Corne has also done a marvelous job to keep the secretariat going during this period.
On conclusion of the General Assembly, we quickly drew up an action plan to ensure matters agreed at the General Assembly are implemented. This will be a useful management tool during my tenure. The website will be our mouthpiece and we hope to achieve a monthly newsletter beginning January 2018.
We have planned three meetings in the coming year: Exco at Gambia, council at South Africa and Exco at Zambia. I look forward to meeting members in these fora armed with forward working ideas.
Wishing all a merry Christmas and a happy new year 2018!
David M. Gaitho
AAQS President
December 2017