In a landmark development for quantity surveying, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) and the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS) have signed a reciprocal membership agreement, facilitating cross-border professional recognition and collaboration.
The agreement was formalized by QS Kene C. Nzekwe, FNIQS, President of the NIQS, and Arif Ghaffur, PQS(F), FRICS, MCIArb., Chair of the CIQS, at the Annual Congress and 65th Annual General Meeting of the CIQS. This significant event took place in Toronto, Ontario, from June 20–22, 2024, at the Delta Hotels Toronto.
Under the terms of the reciprocity agreement, qualified members of each institute in good standing may be elected to equivalent professional ranks in the other organization. NIQS Corporate Members (Fellows or Members) who complete the CIQS’s Test of Professional Experience Practice Problem’s regulatory and ethical requirements may attain CIQS’s Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) designation.
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Similarly, CIQS Professional Quantity Surveyors in good standing may be elected as NIQS Corporate Members, provided they have completed one year of professional experience in Nigeria, enabling a corporate NIQS member to verify their professional activities.
In addition to the reciprocal membership, the agreement also opens avenues for exchanging professional research, knowledge, and collaboration on topics of mutual interest between the NIQS and CIQS.
The NIQS delegation was led by President QS Kene C. Nzekwe, FNIQS, and included Deputy President QS Dr. Aminu M. Bashir, FNIQS, and Secretary of Marketing and Corporate Affairs QS Jonathan Daniel Alwashi, FNIQS. The President of the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), QS Obafemi O. Onashile, PPNIQS, FNIQS, also joined over 30 members from Nigeria and the diaspora at the congress.
This agreement marks a significant step in advancing global professional standards for quantity surveyors and fostering collaboration between Nigerian and Canadian professionals in the industry.
