Intelligent Addressing to be used for street naming in Ghana

Ghana will use Intelligent Addressing (IA) technology from the UK to name streets and properties in Ghana.

Mr Tony Black, an IA Consultant who participated in a recent workshop in Accra, told the GNA in an interview that a national address gazetteer will be built alongside the street-naming project.

He said IA employs the technique of Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) and the Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) which would transform national security and other service providers’ ability to respond rapidly to distress calls.

Mr Black, who is IA Operations Director, explained that Ghana stands to benefit tremendously from the technology of the property-addressing system as it will improve the quality of location information relating to the delivery of services and protection of life and property.

He said IA would establish a spatial information management through National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) and the National Street Gazetteer (NSG).

He said both the NLPG and NSG will create a new standard of currency and completeness for location data as the definitive list of addresses in the country.

He said the NLPG is arguably the most successful initiative of its kind and size in the world and has won European recognition for its implementation.

Mr Black said Ghana stands to benefit from IA’s consultants who were instrumental in the development of the national address gazetteer for England and Wales, which is now managed by a public-sector partnership, GeoPlace.

Dr Emmanuel Boakye-Danquah, IA Consultant and Project Director, said Ghana should adopt a holistic approach to the street-naming and property-addressing project by incorporating a wider access to definitive addressing.

On the challenge of data collection based on the haphazard placement of buildings in some parts of the country, he said IA has the technical background to use information communication and technology system to collate data on every household in the country.

President John Mahama in March this year directed the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kwadwo Oppong Ofosu, at the launch of the National Urban Policy Framework and Action Plan to implement the street naming within 18 months.

President Mahama, then Vice President, in August 2012, also launched the National Policy document and operational guidelines on street naming and property addressing system for Ghana.

The document was designed by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in collaboration with the German International Cooperation, United States Agency for International Development, World Bank, European Union among other partners.

It will, among other things, provide Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies with the policy framework of implementing the street naming and property addressing system, help improve the quality of life in communities and business environment.

The street naming and property addressing system would also facilitate the delivery of services especially mail delivery and location for disasters such as fire outbreaks and flooding.