GHANA GOES DIGITAL …As President Launches Digital Property Addressing System To Formalise Ghana’s Economy

President Akufo-Addo noted that over the years, Ghanaians have become accustomed to using landmarks as the means of giving directions of the location of a property.

“The ‘blue kiosk’, the ‘waakye’ seller, the ‘Kofi brokeman’ seller, and ‘that big tree at the junction’ have become reference points for giving out locations. Today marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. We are launching a solution to our location and addressing problems, and this will, ultimately, change the way we do things,” he said.

The project, born from a partnership of the Ministry of Communications and Ghana Post, according to President Akufo-Addo, will give the country a trustworthy database of addresses.

He said this when he launched the National Digital Property Addressing System, “ghanapostGPS”, describing it as a “move ever closer to realizing our vision of formalising the Ghanaian economy.”

Launching the event at the Accra International Conference Centre on Wednesday, 19th October, 2017, President Akufo-Addo noted that the informal nature of Ghana’s economy has been a major constraint to her development.

The informal nature of the economy, he explained, has affected the nation’s ability to broaden the tax base, deepen and widen financial inclusion, and deliver services to those most in need. 

“It has been a barrier to job creation. It is for this reason that we have, over the last 9 months, the period of my stay in office, taken bold steps to formalise the economy and the way we conduct our everyday activities, including the way government delivers services to citizens most in need,” he added.

The launch of the National Digital Property Addressing System is a fulfillment of one of the campaign promises made by the New Patriotic Party, in its bid to win the December 2016 elections.

President Akufo-Addo noted that “we have stayed true to this commitment, and reaffirmed it in this year’s Asempa Budget. From today, every land or property will be assigned a unique identifier. This will facilitate improved ownership data and unique identification of properties and persons. A proper addressing of properties will ensure efficient delivery of services for economic development.”

“With this new system, every property in Ghana will have an address and can be accounted for, including the location of the blue kiosk, the ‘waakye’ seller or the ‘koko’ seller. The Property Addressing System also means that the ‘koko’ seller can now open a bank account, as he or she will be able to meet the basic requirement to access loan facilities from a bank. The ‘koko’ seller, like many other small businesses, can also grow his or her business.” 

Registering all properties in Ghana, President Akufo-Addo stressed, will lead to the lowering of the cost of doing business, because “once your address can be located, the risk premium charged by banks will be lower. Businesses can now produce at lower costs, and will have enough funds for reinvestments.”

Additionally, through this system, Government can now move to strengthen the health and safety of the public. Law enforcement agencies can easily access addresses more effectively in order to deal with crime. Health, fire and ambulance services can effectively identify property locations in order to save lives at a faster rate. We should soon enjoy the advantages of having all security and emergency services responding to situations in efficient and timely manner, to provide critical security and first aid.

The President noted that one cannot obtain the “Ghana Card” without an address, . With the registration for the “Ghana Card” commencing in November, it is my expectation that all individuals and properties will be able to obtain their own unique addresses, as we strive to build a credible national address register.

“The national address database creates an avenue for new businesses and industry. I urge all stakeholders – Ministries, Security Agencies, Health Authorities, Education, Lands Commission, Financial Institutions, Private Sector Operators – to liaise with the Ministry of Communications and Ghana Post, who are the custodians and administrators of the system, to leverage on this technology to enhance their operations,” he added.

The Ghana Water Company Limited, the Electricity Company of Ghana and Local Governments can now plan and collect revenues in a more systematic manner, which makes their business models sustainable as each customer will now be traceable, the President said.