Move to get houses numbered (page 3)

July 8, 2009

A programme to improve on the country’s residential address system is to begin on Thursday, with the aim of updating the country’s data on housing and boost revenue collection.
The plan, to be rolled out by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, will also facilitate better planning and the execution of development programmes.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the exercise would have all houses in the country properly numbered.
He said unlike elsewhere, the residential address system in Ghana was so haphazardly done that it was almost impossible for any one to give accurate direction to visitors.
At a meeting to be held in Accra on Thursday to get the programme on course, the experts will design plans for easy identification of individual houses for the payment of appropriate taxes from property owners.
The Deputy Minister said the ministry would consider proposals on the issue, as well as improve on earlier initiatives such as the numbering system introduced within the Ayawaso Sub Metro Assembly under the Urban Management Land Information System and similar ones in other parts of the country.
He said stakeholders to attend the meeting include the Town and Country Planning, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Tema Municipal Assembly, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and other agencies.
Mr Afriyie said the meeting would offer the opportunity to the various stakeholders to share ideas and learn from one other to get the job done.
The deputy minister explained that as a developing country, there was the need for Ghana to learn from countries that had advanced in the area of development for the benefit of her citizens.
House numbering in Ghana create problems for both locals and visitors because they usually find it extremely difficult to locate their destination.
Unlike in some countries where people use codes and street names to locate their destination, visitors in Ghana have to go through hard times.
Whiles some houses, especially those in new settlements in the cities and towns, are not numbered, others that are numbered do not follow any order.