“We gladly agreed to cooperate with LMDA when the project gathered independent appraisers and introduced its intention to develop appraisal activity in Tajikistan,” stated Mr. Takhir Nabiev, a partner of “Aiten Consulting Group” LLC, and one of the founders of the Association of Independent Appraisers of the Republic of Tajikistan.
Providing further explanation, Mr. Nabiev shared: “We have been working in the field of appraisal activity for about five years, but we have not achieved much success in this area yet. It is due to the fact that appraisal activity in Tajikistan is not developed and the demand for appraisal services is not high. We took certain steps to develop our work. For instance, we took efforts to create a union of appraisers to protect and represent our interests; however, due to the lack of knowledge and experience in this area, we did not know how to organize it all. It was also difficult for us to discuss pressing problems with the state regulator.”
With support from the Feed the Future Tajikistan Land Market Development Activity, the first step that independent appraisers took was to create the Association of Independent Appraisers of the Republic of Tajikistan. On August 2, 2017, they registered the new association. The leading audit and consulting companies in Tajikistan that provide appraisal services were the association’s founders: “Aiten Consulting Group” LLC, “BDO Consulting” LLC, “Grant Thornton” LLC, “Kreston AC” LLC, and “Beyker Tilli Tajikistan” LLC.
The association will facilitate the sustainable development of independent appraisal activities in Tajikistan, ensure the protection of its members, train local experts on appraising the market value of land use rights, promote market appraisal of land use rights and appraisal best practices through trainings and roundtables, monitor member compliance with the current legislation and international appraisal standards, and establish cooperation with the international community.
Mr. Nabiev emphasized the critical role of LMDA in increasing the capacity of the association. For example, in September 2017, LMDA organized a study tour to the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan for association members. Participants were able to gain a clear understanding on best practices in appraisal activity and discussed practical measures to ensure the association’s sustainability. The experience demonstrated the significant role of the Association of Independent Appraisers in furthering the development of appraisal activity in Tajikistan.