The Government has been commended for taking the bold step taken to launch the National Digital Property Address System.
Speaking in an interview on his views on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of Humano Energy, a leading indigenous Ghanaian Oil company Dr. Richard Owusu Atuahene said the move would greatly enhance the quality of life of all Ghanaians especially the services industry.
He said the National Digital Property Address System would inure to the benefit of all especially the services industry including oil marketing companies, the insurance and financial sector among several others.
“The digital address system will lead to the enhancement of banks in assisting businesses with facilities when these business locations and the addresses of their owners are verifiable. This will help the banks upgrade and enhance their credit ratings systems which will in effect facilitate swift release of funds to qualifying clients just as in Europe and the USA” he said.
He said the tourism sector of Ghana would also be greatly enhanced because visitors would be spared the stress of struggling to locate places sometimes falling victims to criminals in their quest to solicit help.
“Having a properly designed and effective address system was fundamental to the development of every nation and Ghana was no exception. We sometimes wonder how systems function effectively in the western world but I can tell you that a proper address system remains central” he said.
Dr. Atuahene said “effective address systems goes to the heart of national security. Our security agencies are now better placed to act with dispatch to emergency and distressed situations without having to struggle to get to locations”.
He indicated that activities of the National Fire Service for instance would be greatly enhanced because they would no longer have to look out for the blue kiosk or the waakye seller under the big tree. He sis the bold step by the government was an expression of its resolve to see Ghana do some of the basic things which form the basis for proper planning and development take-off.
“For me a nation without a well-functioning address system was a risky place to transact business and live. I entreat Ghanaians to embrace this system and ensure that we all hook on to it and know our addresses. It is for our own benefit and security” he said.
He said: “this initiative as I indicated earlier goes to the very heart of our development. A proper digital address system would to a large extent enhance the credibility of our electoral process with regards to registration of Ghanaians because the national identification process which would be enhanced by the digital address system would eventually become a document for registration to register to vote”.
He urged the Ministry of Communications to intensify education of the laudable initiative in various local languages to ensure that every Ghanaian appreciates the critical importance of the initiative and subscribe to it.