The government is in talks with global addressing giant Google to upload Ghana’s digital address database onto the Google Maps platform to make location identification easier.
The new addressing system, which leverages the existing GhanaPost digital address, is made up of a unique house number, street name, digital address and a QR Code containing the ownership and other details of the property.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said this when he inspected work on the ongoing installation of unique addresses on all 7.5 million properties across the country.
The first phase of the project will see 4 million properties affixed with the new address plates, at no cost to the property owner. The entire project is expected to be completed next year.
Vice President Bawumia explained that a proper addressing system is the bedrock for accelerated national development and is a key plank in the Akufo-Addo government’s vision to digitise the economy and all aspects of national life for the better.
The government, he said, was “trying to solve a major problem that has faced this country, and that is the address issue. There are so many properties that do not have an address. That problem hampers development.”
The Vice President said without addresses, ambulances, Fire Service and the Police would find it difficult to locate homes when there are emergencies.
“If you order goods on the internet, e-commerce and they want to deliver to your home, you must be able to give an address. If you rent from a landlord and Rent Control wants to know where you are, you should be able to give an address, he said.
Therefore, the Vice President said the government was leveraging on the Digital Address System to provide unique addresses to every house and property in Ghana, adding that Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, working with the Local Government Ministry and the Assemblies, have identified about 7.5 million properties in Ghana and every one of those properties would a unique address.
“This will provide us with a rich database for all properties in Ghana, which, combined with data from the Ghana Card, will inform policy formulation and implementation,” he explained.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
