GNA – Government of Ghana is in discussion with Google to upload the database of the country’s Digital Property Addressing System onto Google map.
The databases of the Ghana Digital Property Addressing System and the National Identification Authority will also be synchronized, to enable every citizen to access government services and fight crime.
So far, 7.5 million unique digital property addresses have been identified by the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) while four million address plates had been printed for embossment on houses or properties across the country.
The unique digital address plate has the house number, street name, Ghana Post digital address, and QR Code for every particular house or property to facilitate easy tracking and identification of the property owner.
This came to light when Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia inspected the embossment of digital property address plates on houses at Miracle Fruit Link Avenue in the Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra Region on Monday.
Vice President Bawumia was accompanied by Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe, the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation, Dr Alolo Mutaka, Office of the Vice President, Mr Daniel Alexander Nii-Noi Adumuah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Adentan, and Mr Chapman Owusu Sekyere, Deputy Director of Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority.
Vice President Bawumia said the new digital property address plates were upgraded versions of the old ones and started embossing the plates about two years ago.
The Vice President noted that four million address plates had been printed out of the 7.5 million digital addresses identified.
Four million address plates will be embossed on houses or properties during the first phase of the exercise and 3.5 million in the second phase.
The exercise is expected to be completed next year, however, new properties that will spring up in the future could secure the address plates for embossment on their properties from LUSPA at no cost.
Vice President Bawumia said, “The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is trying to solve a major problem in this country and that is address issue.
“There are so many properties and houses that do not have an address and that problem hampers development.
“If you do not have an address, how do you get an ambulance to come to your house? How do you get Fire Service to come to your house? How do you get the Police if for example there is a robbery taking place in your house? If you apply for a loan from the bank or order goods on the internet, how do you provide an address to deliver the items to your house?
“As a government, we want to leverage on the existing Digital Property Address System to provide unique addresses to every house or property to improve the delivery of government services “.
Dr Bawumia asked Ghanaians to cooperate with officials from the implementing agencies who will visit homes to emboss the address plates, to ensure a successful exercise.
The project is being implemented by the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority in collaboration with the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies and Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation.
GNA